Alireza Moshaverinia PhD ’12, PROS ’12 has earned a 2015 IADR Innovation in Oral Care Award for research that will lead to the development of a novel treatment for patients suffering from peri-implantitis.

The prestigious award, which can be worth up to $75,000 and lasts one year, was given to only three recipients worldwide.

It is co-sponsored by the International Association for Dental Research and GlaxoSmithKline and is intended to help investigators pursue innovative research in oral care.

The money will help Moshaverinia develop a non-surgical treatment for peri-implantitis—one of the most common inflammatory complications following dental implant. Co-investigators include Ali Khademhosseini,  professor at Harvard-MIT’s Division of Health Sciences and Technology, and Homa Zadeh, associate professor at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC.

Peri-implantitis can cause irreversible bone and soft tissue loss around the implant. Current treatment options are limited to bone grafting and tissue augmentation, both of which have major disadvantages including potential infection, prolonged bleeding, nerve damage and jaw fracture.

Using an injectable adhesive hydrogel—with both anti-inflammatory/antimicrobial properties and gingival mesenchymal stem cells—the proposed treatment would not only be effective against inflammation, it would also promote bone and tissue growth, without the need for surgery.

“The long-term goal of this proposal is to introduce a promising approach for the improved treatment of peri-implant bone loss and to extend it to the repair of maxillofacial and skeletal defects paving the way for improved hard tissue regeneration in the clinics,” said Moshaverinia whose research is largely focused on applying biomaterials with stem cells for craniofacial tissue regeneration.

He said the need for this type of intervention will only increase as the United States continues to experience a demographic shift toward the elderly.

The junior faculty member, who earned a doctor of dental surgery degree from Iran and a master of science degree in dental biomaterial from Ohio State University, began his career at the Ostrow School as a dual-degree student, pursuing a doctor of philosophy degree in craniofacial biology and an advanced certificate in advanced prosthodontics. He finished his degrees in 2012 and joined the faculty in 2014.

“During my time as a student at Ostrow, I was inspired by the work of our faculty working on craniofacial tissue engineering at the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology,” he said. “Now my goal as a faculty member is to perpetuate basic and clinical knowledge and inspire learning in my own students.”

The awarding organization, the International Association for Dental Research, is a non-profit organization with 11,000 members worldwide. Its mission is to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health worldwide, according to its website. The organization publishes the Journal of Dental Research, a peer-reviewed scientific journal for dental, oral and craniofacial research.

Co-sponsor GlaxoSmithKline is a global healthcare company committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer, according to its website. Funding for the Innovation in Oral Care Awards is provided exclusively by GlaxoSmithKline.

Moshaverinia will be honored at an award reception and dinner at the IADR/AADR/CADR General Session and Exhibition in Boston in mid-March.