Researchers from NYU’s College of Dentistry won this year’s STAT Madness — an online tournament spotlighting recent advances in medicine and science in which student researchers face off — with their study on combating gum disease. This achievement marks the first time a dental school won the March Madness-inspired contest.

The group’s research triumphed over that of 63 other studies from institutions across the country, including the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania and Duke University. The competition, which was hosted by the science-focused publication STAT News, opened voting for the most innovative study on March 1. The final voting period ended on April 3. NYU’s dentistry school also competed against researchers from the university’s medical school, the Grossman School of Medicine, who conducted research on cancer treatment.

The winning study, conducted by four NYU Dentistry researchers, evaluated the efficacy of treating gum disease with an oral gel that eliminates gum inflammation and harmful bacteria. It found that the gel proved a successful treatment. Yuqi Guo, a lead researcher on the study, said that she had been on the edge of her seat for the past month in anticipation of the competition’s results.

“There were so many rounds until we entered the final one, and I was waiting next to the screen to check the result for each round,” Guo said. “I was so excited to see we scored 57% when the time was up for the final round, and emailed our lab members about this great news.”

According to the study, the new topical gel was tested on mice, human cells and plaque samples to detect possible toxicity and to determine the proper dosage and timing for application. Guo said she hopes winning the competition will bring more attention to their discovery, She said her research team had already received many inquiries from clinicians and patients about clinical trials of their work following their tournament win.

Fangxi Xu, another researcher on the study, said that while winning STAT Madness brought recognition to their research, it has also further incentivized the team to implement their work practically in combating gum disease. 

“I came to know that many people are interested in our study, and that’s truly encouraging,” Xu said. “The win brought us recognition and a lot of attention and, at the same time, more expectations. We will definitely keep working on it and hopefully our gel can be fully applied in clinics someday.”

Contact Nikki Mirala at [email protected].