Toru Okabe, Regents Professor

Research and Professional Interests:

Dr. Toru Okabe was appointed Director of the Dental Materials Science Program at Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX, in 1982.  In 1985, this program was given departmental status, and Dr. Okabe became its first chairman.  The application of the physical sciences to basic and applications investigations of dental materials is the focus of his research work.  He has been the Principal Investigator of several major grants funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and has co-authored 143 articles and 281 abstracts based on the results of these grants.  Previous projects investigated the behavior of mercury in dental amalgam and the microstructure of dental amalgam.  The suitability of gallium alloys as alternatives to amalgam has also been the subject of one of Dr. Okabe's NIH grants.  Dr. Okabe's current grant project is on a study of titanium alloys for dental casting purposes.  He has investigated a number of experimental binary, ternary, and multicomponent alloys for mechanical properties needed for dental applications.  Other characteristics studied are the mold filling, casting accuracy, and subsurface structures of these alloys.  The corrosion behavior, machinability, wear resistance, bond strength to porcelain, and fatigue resistance have also been studied as part of this body of work.

Education:

BS, Waseda University, Metallurgical Engineering,

PhD, University of Florida, Metallurgical & Materials Engineering

Awards:

1999     IADR Wilmer Souder Distinguished Scientist Award

1999     Texas A&M University System Regents Professor Award

2003     The Japanese Society for Dental Materials and Devices (JSDMD) President's Service Award

2007     The 2007 Japan Titanium Society Science and Technology Award

Contact:

Phone: 214-370-7002

Fax: 214-370-7001

E-Mail: tokabe@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Zhuo Cai, Adjunct Assistant Professor 

Research and Professional Interests:

Dr. John Cai's educational background includes degrees in dentistry and in dental materials from both China and the United States.  He most recently completed a certificate in Orthodontics from Baylor College of Dentistry in February 2006, and then reappointed as a full-time Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomaterials Science.  The focus of Dr. Cais research has been on the improvement of cast titanium-ceramic bonding, including analysis using transmission electron microscopy.  The specific aims for his NIH-funded project in this area were to identify the most effective face-coating oxides to improve cast titanium-ceramic bonding, to characterize the cast CP titanium surfaces prepared from oxide face-coated patterns before and after simulated porcelain firing cycles, and to characterize the titanium-ceramic interfaces.  He has also performed many studies on the corrosion of dental alloys.  With his dual background in dental materials and dentistry (orthodontics), Dr. Cai is uniquely qualified to investigate materials related to orthodontics both in the laboratory and in the clinic.

Education:

BDS, Beijing Medical University

PhD, Ohio State University, Oral Biology (Specialty in Biomaterials)

Teaching Responsibilities:

Materials Science in Orthodontics (Course ORT 5107), Course Director

Applied Dental Materials (DH Course 3530)

Contact:

Phone: 214-370-7007

Fax: 214-370-7001

E-Mail: zcai@bcd.tamhsc.edu 

Mari Koike, Assistant Professor

Research/Professional Interests:

Dr. Mari Koike joined the faculty of Baylor College of Dentistry on September 1, 2005.  She was previously an Assistant Professor at the Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan, and a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomaterials Science, Baylor College of Dentistry from 2001-2003.  Dr. Koike's research activities focus on metallic allergies and biocompatibility.  Other areas of research interest include the total property characterization of cast titanium and titanium alloys and the behavior of mercury in dental amalgam.  Dr. Koike taught a number of clinical courses in the area of prosthodontics at the Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences before joining Baylor College of Dentistry.

Education:

DDS, Nagasaki University School of Dentistry

PhD, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Dentistry, Dentistry and Biomaterials

Teaching Responsibilities:

Applied Dental Materials (DH Course 3530), Co-course Director

Dental Materials (D1 Course 6580)

Contact:

Phone: 214-370-7005

Fax: 214-370-7001

E-Mail: mkoike@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Ikuya Watanabe, Associate Professor

Research/Professional Interests

Dr. Watanabe joined the Department of Biomaterials Science as an Assistant Professor in 2001.  He had previously spent nearly three years in the department as a Visiting Scientist from Nagasaki University School of Dentistry. Dr. Watanabe's current research effort is concentrated on the characterization and application of castable platinum-iron magnetic alloys to dental prostheses.  He has also investigated laser-welded titanium and gold alloy with age-hardenability at intraoral temperature.  The main emphasis of Dr. Watanabe's research work is on the structural analysis of platinum-iron magnetic alloy to produce high magnetic properties, on the potential for developing castable magnetic alloys that can be used as dental restorative materials, and the investigation of laser welding methods that achieve high mechanical strength of dental metals, such as titanium alloys and gold alloys.  In addition to Dr. Watanabe's research work, he is involved in the teaching of predoctoral dental and dental hygiene students.  He is the co-course director of Course 3530 Applied Dental Materials to the junior dental hygiene students and he teaches in the laboratory portion of Course 6580 Dental Materials and Course 7353 Removable Prosthodontics.

Education:

DDS, Nagasaki University School of Dentistry

PhD, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Dentistry, Prosthodontics and Biomaterials

Teaching Responsibilities:

Applied Dental Materials (DH Course 3530)

Dental Materials (D1 Course 6580)

Removable Prosthodontics (D2 Course 7353)