Nelson wins, Wang a finalist in AAP’s Orban Competition

Jiman Nelson, DMD, MSD, MS ’22; and third-year resident Le Leila Wang, DMD, PhD, of UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry were recognized during the American Academy of Periodontology's 2022 Balint Orban Memorial Competition.

More commonly referred to as the Orban Competition, the prestigious event has been a featured event at the AAP Annual Meeting since 1960. The competition provides a platform for current periodontal residents or students who have completed their training no more than 18 months prior to the AAP Annual Meeting to present in the categories of clinical and basic science research.

Eight finalists were selected to present their research to a panel of judges at the AAP’s Annual Meeting.

Nelson, a 2022 graduate of the Advanced Education Program in Periodontics, won first place in the clinical science category for his project, titled “Deep Learning Based Computer-Aided Periodontal Diagnosis through the Online Platform.”

“Winning this award was simply ‘icing on the cake’ for the long years and dedication it took to achieve my dream of becoming a periodontist,” Nelson said. “In addition, I would like to thank the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry and the periodontics department at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry for believing in my dreams and molding me into the professional I am today.”

Nelson was recognized at the AAP and AAP Foundation Awards Ceremony at the Annual Meeting. He received a monetary award of $1,250 and a plaque of recognition.

Wang, a third-year resident, was named a finalist in the basic science category for her project, titled “The impact of liposome stabilized RvE1 on human gingival fibroblast viability in a 3D hydrogel culture system.” She received a certificate of recognition for her presentation.

“The prestigious Balint Orban Memorial Competition is very respected and the most-coveted, national competition in periodontology for advanced education students,” said Professor Nikola Angelov, DDS, PhD, chair of the Department of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene. “Only projects of the highest caliber and outstanding quality are selected to compete. I’m very proud of Dr. Nelson and Dr. Wang for competing in the finals, and that our residency program won the clinical science category for the second time in the last three years.”

All selected finalists will have their abstracts published in the Journal of Periodontology later in 2023.

The Orban Competition is named in honor of Balint J. Orban, MD, DDS, an AAP member who was influential in developing the scientific foundations of contemporary periodontics.

The AAP’s 108th Annual Meeting was held Oct. 27-30, 2022, in Phoenix.