October 6, 2025 —
Kayla Austin had little research experience when she enrolled in the bachelor of science in dentistry (B.Sc. (Dent.) program at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry.
But that didn’t matter. The program is designed to provide dentistry students with plenty of research experience.
B.Sc. (Dent.) students work on their own studies for two summers following their first and second years of the four-year doctor of dental medicine degree.
After her first summer, Austin is now well-versed in how to conduct research.
“You never know what your limitations and skills are unless you actually try something. I always tell myself, ‘You can do hard things.’ The program sounded hard, but once I started learning and developing my research skills, it didn’t feel so hard anymore,” said Austin, a second-year dental student.
She spent the summer studying gene expression in taste receptors to observe whether there are differences in people with cancer, those with pre-cancerous lesions and those without cancer.
Austin is looking for potential biomarkers, which she said could contribute to the development of new oral cancer treatments or be used as a sign that a patient with pre-cancerous lesions needs treatment before it becomes cancerous.
UM Today sat down with Austin to learn about her experience as a B.Sc. (Dent.) student at UM.
Why did you enroll in the B.Sc. (Dent.) program?
I remember when the program was introduced to us, it sounded interesting. They highlighted it as something very valuable if you wanted to do a graduate specialty program, such as prosthodontics, periodontics or pediatrics after dental school. They often look to see if you’ve done research.
When February rolled around and I needed to make a decision, I thought, “I’ve never done research before, let’s try this out.” I thought I might as well jump into a project that has lots of people around who can help and lots for me to learn.
What have you learned as a B.Sc. (Dent.) student?
It’s a lot of paper reading. When I say it’s a lot of paper reading, it felt daunting at first, but it was something I had to do in order to then make informed choices regarding my project. One of the most valuable and interesting things I’ve learned is that I have control over what I’m doing with my project.
I also learned a lot of valuable skills when it comes to lab work. I had great lab mentors and lab coordinators who helped me learn those skills.
Learning how to organize and plan something yourself is such a great and valuable skill as well.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about enrolling in the B.Sc. (Dent.) program?
I think it’s important for dental students to look for a topic they’re very interested in. Prior to dentistry, I very much liked biochemistry, so going into a project that’s part of the oral biology department seemed fitting.
I think it’s also good to look into projects that give back to the community or are related to public health. There’s so much value in learning in a lab and conducting research versus only learning in a simulation lab or a lecture hall.
The other advice would be to talk to supervisors. Involve yourself with people whose research you are interested in and ask around about different projects before you pick which one you want to do.