Gifts provide cutting-edge equipment for Brunswick CSLC

Gifts provide cutting-edge equipment for Brunswick CSLC

Dr. Michael Granet has provided more than patient care and dental instruction as an adjunct assistant professor at the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine's community service learning center (CSLC) in Brunswick County.

Through gifts totaling more than $100,000, Granet has invested in and helped the school obtain state-of-the-art equipment for the CSLC. Granet, the staff and dental students at the CSLC now have access to a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)/panoramic X-ray unit, which provides 3D imaging; a TRIOS intraoral scanner and CoDiagnostix software; and a 3D printer. The cutting-edge equipment allows the care team to provide scans for dental imaging instead of having to take impressions.

"Technology is at the forefront of dental education now more than ever before, and Dr. Granet's gift of this state-of-the-art equipment provides our students and residents with vital exposure to digital dentistry," said Dr. Greg Chadwick, dean of the dental school. "This gift, coming from a part-time faculty member, leverages our ability to expand the scope of care for the communities we serve."

Dr. Dianne Caprio, clinical assistant professor at ECU and director of dentistry at the Brunswick CSLC, said dentists can create a virtual model of patient's teeth or print the model if needed.

"Dentistry has gone digital, and we are just scratching the surface of all the possibilities," Caprio said. "Having this equipment offers the students and residents an introduction to the digital dental world."

Caprio said the new equipment allows staff the ability to design crowns, dentures and other prosthetics on the software and print them in the office. "We can plan for accurate placement of implants using the CBCT, TRIOS and the CoDiagnostix software by designing surgical guides and printing them in house," she said.

Granet learned about the CSLC after moving to Wilmington from Maryland. He works at the center each Tuesday caring for patients' periodontic and implant needs and serving as an instructor for the dental residents working there.

"I made donations to the clinic so this equipment could be here and we could all use it and patients could benefit from it," Granet said. "All I did was give the money. What I get back is much greater than the money I give. I am in a happy place when I get here (Brunswick CSLC) on Tuesday."

Staff at the CSLC honored Granet for his support with a plaque at the center. Caprio said the upgrade in technology is important to the CSLC, but Granet's "greatest gift is his time and dedication to teaching the residents and students."

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