Faculty Research – Who’s Who in SOD Dr Terence A. Imbery
Set with the task of identifying a research topic for his residency project Dr Imbery was initially stumped – there wasn’t anything obvious he could think of and was unable to identify a real clinical need as he did not have any clinical research experience. He set about looking at what others in the program had done before and reading abstracts for inspiration. At that time new dental cements were emerging, seizing the opportunity he decided to look at the use of these resin cements on Maryland bridges. Along with his mentors Drs Naylor and Burgess they devised and completed a study that compared the efficacy of the new cements with gold and base metal alloys. Their conclusions published in the International Journal of Prosthodontics identified best practice for Maryland bridges. This is still the gold standard of care today.
Before completing his residency Dr Imbery also completed two further studies. The first looked at the retention of amalgam restorations using pins or bonding agents and the second evaluated different tin plating systems for high noble alloys. These research projects have guided Dr Imbery’s approach to his research ever since. That approach is to evaluate new technologies against existing practice and determine what approach is the best for patients and dentists.
Dr Imbery worked as an Air force dentist for 15 years following his residency training and did not have the opportunity to conduct further research. However his research was to follow him and cause a security alert. A letter postmarked from Iraq arrived at the air force base during an anthrax scare in 2003. The envelope was sent to be opened under full military scrutiny and heavy safety regulations. When opened it revealed a request for a reprint of one of his papers.
Following his appointment at VCU he was eager to get involved in research again. Lecturing and teaching in the clinics did not give him much time but the AD Williams student fellowships were to provide him with the manpower to get his research ideas tested. Since arriving at VCU he has worked with 15 students on AD Williams projects. This has produced a number of publications and regular poster presentations at AADR and IADR meetings. To date 10 of these students have graduated and entered advanced education programs.
Dr Imbery still continues to consult with colleagues, read journals and use his clinic experience to identify research topics. His most recent publication has led him away from investigating dental materials to evaluating dental spectrophotometers for shade selection. This was a collaborative study with the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry and was supported by the ADA’s Professional Product Review. Dr Imbery credits his early research mentor Dr Burgess and Dr. Moon at VCU with inspiring him to continue research and hopes to do the same for the students he works with.
Dr Imbery sums up his research experience to date by saying. “Prior to starting research I knew I needed an idea but could not come up with one. I picked an area and undertook a literature review. It was a great way of learning about the field and identifying a gap in the research. This approach has worked well for me. I really enjoy coming up with a novel idea, being the first one to do something and then seeing it in print. Training the next generation of dentists and inspiring them to carry out research and knowing that the research I do can impact dentists and patients is an honor and great reward for my efforts.”
To see Dr Imbery’s publications please go to PubMed
Categories Research