The Program has maintained national and international exchanges, generating technical and bibliographic productions from these partnerships. The scientific output resulting from the exchanges can be observed in the complete papers published, accepted or submitted for publication, which include the names of the partnership participants.
Partnerships and National Exchanges
- SÃO PAULO CITY GOVERNMENT: Stricto Sensu Post-Graduation Program in Dentistry, through CEAPE – UNIP (Centre of Studies and Special Patients Services) in partnership with the City’s STD/AIDS Program, provides support to the municipality’s 15 specialized centres (north, south, east, west, and mid-west) for diagnosis and treatment of opportunistic mouth diseases. The population of patients served at the STD/AIDS Program’s reference centres is close to 9,000 users. In addition, patients from several institutions and associations (Support Houses, NGOs, Green Cross, APAE, and others) are also taken to the CEAPE. Researches resulting from this partnership have already been presented at several international conferences in other countries, such as Canada, the USA, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Austria, and studies have also been published in national and international journals. The activities are reported in the Social Insertion section.
- UNIFESP – DEPARTMENT OF MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY: this partnership allows full service to oncological patients and the Centre is responsible for the application of educational-preventive methods, as well as diagnosing and – in the event of disease detection – carrying out the needed local procedures and forward the case to UNIFESP for a systemic treatment. Also, explanatory self-examination manuals have been developed by students from the Program, and they are distributed to all patients seeking services at UNIP’s clinics. Professor Dr Luciano Lauria Dib coordinates the Maxillofacial Rehabilitation Centre for UNIFESP Head and Neck Surgery Department. In this centre, outpatient and surgical services are available for patients with oncological facial deformities, where they go through rehabilitation procedures with facial implants and prosthesis. Part of this assistance is carried out during UNIP’s Dentistry Course, with the Post-Graduation’s Facial Rehabilitation Clinic. The discipline of Maxillofacial Rehabilitation of UNIP’s Strictu Sensu Post-Graduation Program in Dentistry (MSc level) is carried out at UNIFESP’s outpatient facility, with UNIP students who join the meetings and the clinical activities. Several publications have come out of this partnership with the co-authorship of Professor Marcio Abrahão, Director of UNIFESP’s Otorhinolaryngology Department. The activities performed at this centre allowed the creation of the “More Identity Institute” (“Instituto Mais Identidade”), a Civil Society Public Interest Organization (OSCIP) devoted to free services to patients who suffer from maxillofacial deformities, which represent a strong social impact. A place where several community preventive and clarifying events will be organized.
- SÍRIO-LIBANÊS (HOSPITAL)– EXTRACTION LABORATORY: covenant with the Research and Teaching Institute of Sírio Libanês Hospital (IEP-HSL) for supplementary studies carried out in the area of natural products by UNIP’s extraction Lab. There is a project in progress called "Rio Negro Project", coordinated by researchers Dr Riad Naim Younes, Dr Antonio Drauzio Varella, both from UNIP, and by Dr Luiz Fernando Lima Reis, from IEP-HSL, and counts with on researchers Dr Ivana Barbosa Suffredini, Dr Ingrit Elida Collantes Díaz (Peru), and Dr Mateus Luís Barradas Paciencia, from UNIP. The project is also jointed by IC’s students, master’s candidates, and doctoral candidates. The researchers listed in this group, apart from the ones from IEP-HSL, from UNIP, and other external collaborators, occasionally meet and discuss project-related matters.
- RIO GRANDE DO NORTE’S HEALTH SECRETARIAT: in partnership with the Clinic of maxillofacial rehabilitation, Professor Dr. Luciano Lauria Dib travels to Natal (RN), three times a year, to perform surgeries on patients from the Unified Health System (SUS), for fixation of bone-integrated implants on patients having severe facial and maxillary deformities of oncological treatment origins. These implants are used for retention of rehabilitating facial prosthesis. The ongoing project serves patients and provides prosthesis maintenance support. Social Insertion: These activities completely change the State community, as they allow the patients’ social reintegration, delivering conditions for them to resume family coexistence, labour activity, and human dignity recovery.
- KIDNEY AND HYPERTENSION HOSPITAL/UNIFESP: UNIP’s Strictu Sensu Post-Graduation Program in Dentistry, through Professor Dr Élcio Magdalena Giovani, jointly with the undergraduate course, through CEAPE (Centre of Studies and service to Special Patients), in partnership with UNIFESP’s Kidney and Hypertension Hospital, provides support to the patients with chronic kidney insufficiency – pre- and post-transplanted - acts in the prevention of the mouth health integrity, prepares them for surgery and avoids infectious processes in post-surgery maintenance, as these are the most aggravating conditions for transplanted organ rejection, besides early detection, diagnosis and treatment of mouth opportunistic manifestations. Every semester, the Hospital’s medical team holds a workshop for qualification of UNIP’s undergraduate course students, apart from taking part in the discussion of these students’ clinical cases that occurred at the hospital, which fosters the preparation of partnership research projects. The Gold Standard Hospital is an extremely relevant reference centre for science. Last year, there were 1,030 transplantations performed in the institution (the largest number for an single institution in the world), with high success rates and minimum rejection level. Several research projects have been developed through this partnership, and courses are taught to the students as part of UNIP’s undergraduate course Continuous Education Program. This course is joined by undergraduate students, those from UR (Undergraduate Research), and from graduation (specialization, Master’s, and PhD Degrees). Research works related to this partnership have been presented in national and international conferences, and an article has been accepted for publication, with three more on the way (ongoing research).
- PREMIER HOSPITAL: this rich partnership refers to the exchange of experiences in dental intervention practices and research in patients under palliative care. This hospital has cared for patients in excellent human dignity conditions, most of them elderly with the most varied degrees of immobility owing to their pathologies and/or young people who had accidents (quadriplegic/coma, etc.). The undergraduate students, those from the UR and from the graduation Programs (specialization, Master’s, and PhD Degrees) supervised by Professor Dr Elcio Magdalena Giovani, perform clinical intervention and research. There are three researches in progress.
- USP’S MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS INSTITUTE: the Program’s professors keep partnership with professors from the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, part of USP’s Department of Statistics, aiming at expanding the analyses and optimizing the data obtained through UNIP’s developed studies.
- USP’S SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: partnership between faculty members Professor Dr Luciano Lauria Dib and Professor Dr Marcio Z. Casati with the CLINIC OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES (Dermatology Subject segment of USP’s College of Medicine). This partnership seeks to produce scientific research projects on vesiculobullous diseases and mouth manifestations, with the participation of our students and Professors. In 2018, the following article was published: Migliorini, Sergio Eduardo, Pecorari, Vanessa Gallego Arias, Casati, Marcio Zaffalon, Santi, Claudia Giuli, Neto, Cyro Festa; Dib, Luciano Lauria (authors). “Oral Manifestations, Gingival Index, and Dental State of Vesiculobullous Diseases”. International Journal of Clinical Medicine. v. 09, p. 408-422, 2018.
- DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT AND INFORMATICS ON HEALTH FROM THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF SÃO PAULO: partnership established through Professor Dr Cristina Feijó Ortolani, for the development, conception, and design of applications in the Dentistry area. At UNIP, the Research Group ‘Informatics in Dentistry’ was created with the participation of faculty members and master’s and PhD candidates, and RU from both institutions. It is the only Research Group in this area in Brazil. The results of this partnership have been presented in national and international conferences, with six articles already published and three articles submitted in 2018 awaiting publication. Three applications are being developed: one for child mouth health prevention, one for patients with microcephaly, and one for teenage patients during orthodontic treatment.
Education and Cyberculture is another discipline that is offered at UNIFESP by Professor Dr Cristina Feijó Ortolani to students of both Universities as part of this partnership. She has also participated in examination boards of projects and presentations of master’s degree dissertations and doctorate theses. - UNIVERSITY ESTADUAL PAULISTA JÚLIO DE MESQUITA FILHO - UNESP - SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS: through Professor PhD. Alberto N. Kojima, faculty member of UNESP’s Department of Dental Materials and Prosthesis, studies have been carried out in the area of Extensometry – Mechanical Assays of Dental Materials, with collaboration of Professor Dr Alfredo Mesquita. This partnership has already generated a project approved before FAPESP, works presented in research conferences, according to the authors’ Lattes Curriculum; three articles in international, multicentre journals, jointly published with Professor Mutlu Ozcan (University of Zurich).
- FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF ABC: partnership established by means of Professor Dr Maria Martha Bernardi with the Centre of Cognition and Complex Systems and Graduate course in Biotechnology from the Federal University of ABC for the development of connected to obesity and reproductive aspects-related research. This partnership has allowed the establishment of a Lab of Behaviour and Molecular Biology at UFABC for joint works with UNIP.
- THE PHARMACOPOEIA GROUP: through Professor Dr Maria Martha Bernardi and Pharmacopeia Cil, Brazil, Pharmaceutical Company. This partnership seeks to study the effects of ancillary phytotherapeutics on weight loss. This partnership was responsible for two technical reports in 2012: “Weight loss in rats fed hypercaloric food and treated with 9611phytotherapy” and “Weight loss in rats fed with hypercaloric food and treated with phytotherapy at different proportions”. Other researches have also been developed.
- COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY TECHNOLOGY – UNIVERSITY OF SÃO PAULO: with the participation of Professor Dr Maria Martha Bernardi, this partnership seeks to develop research projects, supervision, and co-supervision to graduate students in the area of Development Toxicology. Outcomes of this collaboration were works published in prestigious journals.
- CENTER OF ENGINEERING, MODELING, AND APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES (CECS) FROM UFABC AND UFPE’S DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING: with the participation of Professor Dr Maristela Dutra-Corrêa, this partnership established with Professor Dr Patrícia Aparecida da Ana, from UFABC, and Professor Dr Emery C. C. C. Lins, Assistant Professor – UFPE, both with research in the areas of Optics and Biomedical Images with the use of visible and infrared radiations for pathology diagnosing and biomaterials optical characterization, and diagnosis and therapy of mouth and tooth pathologies. One of the outcomes from this partnership was Selma Regina dos Santos Almeida’s PhD Degree, using photonic images for detecting tooth cavities, completed in 2018.
- EMPRESA CONEXÃO SISTEMA DE PRÓTESES LTD.: cooperation project with Professor Dr Luciano Lauria Dib for the development of a new model of extraoral implant for use in maxillofacial rehabilitation. This project counts with the participation of graduate students.
- USP’s INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY (IQ-USP) AND USP’s SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY (FO-USP): cooperation project, already completed, between Professor Dr Maristela Dutra-Correa and FO-USP, with Professor Dr Igor Studart Medeiros and at IQ-USP, and Professors Dr Koiti Araki and Dr Sergio H Toma, with UNIP’s Extraction Lab, and with Professor Dr Ivana Barbosa Suffredini, for new dental biomaterials development with nanotechnology (silver nanoparticles). This partnership has already led to several abstracts published in events historical records (around 16) and an article published in an high-impact factor International Magazine with participation of a master’s degree student and an UR student. Works completed: 3 Master’s degrees (Ms Catarina Pires Bezerra, Ms Monica de Abreu Pessoa Rodrigues, and Ms Marina Struncová Fernandes), 1 Final Undergraduation Essay (Ms Alessandra Almeida Bráz Varanda Leite) and 3 Undergraduate Researches (Ms Marina Struncová Fernandes, Ms Alessandra Almeida Bráz Varanda Leite, and Ms Gabrielly Caramel Juvino).
- REGIONAL HOSPITAL OF FERRAZ DE VASCONCELOS “Dr. Osiris Florindo Coelho” – part of the State Health Secretariat. In this hospital, patients with special needs on dental treatment are submitted to dental services under general anaesthesia at the Centre of Studies and Service to Special Patients – CEAPE UNIP. With these patients, it to perform outpatient treatment is impossible due to the varied pathologies they and limitations they present. Services at the Hospital of Ferraz of Vasconcelos are carried out by PNE-specialization students and by master’s and PhD students from the Graduate Program, also assisted by undergraduate students.
- MARY SPEERS FOUNDATION: Social Inclusion Project for people at risk and vulnerability for residents in the downtown region of São Paulo City; the Program acts on two important pillars: 1. Educational and preventive service to mouth hygiene care on children going to the Foundation’s school, 2. Educational and preventive to buccal health services for the mothers of the same students who attend the Foundation’s school. This project is joined by undergraduate, UR, and graduate students (specialization, Master’s, and PhD Degrees). This partnership’s activities are described in the Social Insertion section.
- SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY “JÚLIO DE MESQUITA FILHO” - UNESP – BOTUCATU CAMPUS: cooperation between Professor PhD Denise Carleto Andia (UNIP) and Professors Willian F Zambuzzi and Rodrigo Augusto da Silva, both from the Bio-Sciences Institute, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UNESP, for joint research development in the area of common interest, related to bone layer epigenetic regulation. This partnership counts on collaboration from students from UNIP’s and UNESP’s Strictu Sensu Graduate Programs.
- STATE UNIVERSITY OF CAMPINAS – FOP: Professors who teach Periodontics in the Program keep a partnership with professors from UNICAMP for the development of joint researches, especially projects linked to the areas of Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Periodontics. There is also collaboration between Professor Dr Denise Carleto Andia (UNIP) and the Periodontics area of FOP/UNICAMP’s Prosthesis and Periodontics Department for development of the project named “Epigenetic regulation of human mesenchymal cells”, from Young Researcher Aid under the supervision of Professor Dr Denise Carleto Andia (FAPESP – 2013/09650-8). This partnership counts on the collaboration from Master’s and UR students from FOP/UNICAMP’s Graduate Program.
- IPEN – CNEN/SP: cooperation carried out through Profa. Cintia Helena Coury Saraceni, with Profs. Denise Zezell and Ricardo Samad from the Center for Lasers and Applications – IPEN-CNEN/SP, with the aim of carrying out research with the Femtosecond laser on ceramic structures. The partnership was signed in 2016 and generated two completed PhD and one master's degree research. Doctoral research is underway, scheduled for completion in December 2023.
- SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY “JÚLIO DE MESQUITA FILHO” - UNESP – ARAÇATUBA CAMPUS: partnership settled by faculty Professors of the Periodontics Program’s for the immunohistochemistry analyses of samples coming from Project “Role Of Resveratrol in the Control of Bone Alterations Associated to Osteoporosis: Study on Ovariectomized Rats”, jointly with Professor Dr Edilson Ervolino.
- SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY “JÚLIO DE MESQUITA FILHO” - UNESP – ARARAQUARA CAMPUS: partnership established by faculty Professors of the Periodontics Program’s for MICRO-CT analyses of samples originating from Project “Impact of Resveratrol at Risk Conditions: Evaluation of the Bone Repair and Induced Experimental Periodontitis Processes on Diabetic Rats Exposed to Cigarette Smoke”, a joint work with Professor Dr Adriana Marcantonio.
- PRESBYTERIAN UNIVERSITY MACKENZIE: established with the support of Professor Dr Maria Martha Bernardi, this partnership aims at developing research projects and co-supervision to graduate students in the area of Development Disorders. This collaboration has already brought results and studies have been published in high-impact journals.
- UNIVERSITY OF SÃO PAULO’s SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY – RIBEIRÃO PRETO CAMPUS: faculty Professors of the Program keep a partnership with professors from FORP-USP for joint-research development, especially regarding evaluations in computerized micro-tomography for bone repair evaluation. This partnership made it possible to publish the article: (authors) Cirano FR, Pimentel SP, Casati MZ, Corrêa MG, Pino DS, Messora MR, Silva PHF, Ribeiro FV. “Effect of curcumin on bone tissue in the diabetic rat: repair of peri-implant and critical-sized defects”. Int J Oral Maxillofacial Surg. 2018 Nov; 47 (11): 1495-1503. doi: 10.1016 / j.ijom.2018.04.018. Epub 2018 May 29. PubMed PMID: 29857981.
- SÃO LEOPOLDO MANDIC SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY: partnership through Professor Dr Marcelo Napimoga, who took part in the histological evaluation of joints of the animals in the following research: (authors) Corrêa MG, Pires PR, Ribeiro FV, Pimentel SP, Cirano FR, Napimoga MH, Casati MZ, Casarin RCV. “Systemic treatment with resveratrol reduces the progression of experimental periodontitis and arthritis in rats”. PLoS One. 2018 Oct 3; 13 (10): e0204414. doi: 10.1371 / journal.pone.0204414. eCollection 2018. PubMed PMID: 30281626; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6169914.
- PIRACICABA SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY – UNIVERSITY OF CAMPINAS: partnership established by Professor Dr Renato Casarin wo, along with professors and students from UNIP’s Strictu Sensu Graduate Program, enabled the analysis of the microbiome of patients who smoke and bear dental implants. This partnership has generated the following publication: (authors) Pimentel SP, Fontes M, Ribeiro FV, Corrêa MG, Nishii D, Cirano FR, Casati MZ, Casarin RCV. “Smoking habit modulates peri-implant microbiome: A case-control study”. J Periodontal Res. 2018 Dec; 53 (6): 983-991. doi: 10.1111 / jre.12597. Epub 2018 Sep 26. PubMed PMID: 30259511.
- FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL’s SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY: the Program’s professor and students keep research partnership with Professor Dr Alex Haas for research development in the area of peri-implantitis. Out of this partnership, a recent study has been published: (authors) Pimentel SP, Fontes M, Ribeiro FV, Corrêa MG, Nishii D, Cirano FR, Casati MZ, Casarin RCV. “Smoking habit modulates peri-implant microbiome: A case-control study”. J Periodontal Res. 2018 Dec; 53 (6): 983-991. doi: 10.1111 / jre.12597. Epub 2018 Sep 26. PubMed PMID: 30259511.
Internationalization
By means of institutional exchange programs, UNIP’s internationalization process is growing strong, both with the development of joint researches – with students coming from Latin American institutions outside Brazil – and with faculty and student mobility.
Faculty/Student Mobility
The partnerships established in 2014 between Professors Dr Adriano Fonseca de Lima and Dr Flávia Pires Rodrigues, from UNIP, with Professors Dr William Palin from the University of Birmingham and Dr David Watts from the University of Manchester has ongoing and continuous research. One of them was the work of title "Influence of different polymerization initiation systems on the chemical-physical properties of experimental resins", partially funded by CNPq through PIBIC scholarship for our student, Mr Marcos Vinícius Salvador, awarded as the best undergraduate research in the Area of Health Sciences at the XVII Scientific Meeting, the 19th Scientific Initiation Meeting and UNIP’s 4th Technological Initiation Meeting.
Professor Dr. Denise Carleto Andia also participated in this program with the Institute for Biomedical Research (IBR), Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham (UoB), Birmingham, in partnership with Professor. Malgorzata Wiench. Professor. Denise Carleto Andia was in Birmingham from May to July 2015 developing the project: "RG108 demethylating therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: the impact on DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation."
In 2017, there was also the visit of the PhD student Ms Anna Larsson, supervised by Professor Ulf Nannmark from the University of Gothenburg for experiments related to her project. The student's participation was part of our student mobility actions that resulted from the partnership established by UNIP’s Graduate Program in Dentistry and the University of Gothenburg.
Training Course in Cuba: Since 2015, a partnership has been in force between the UNIP’s Graduate Program and the Latin American Society for Face Rehabilitation and Bucomaxilofacial Prosthesis. Professor Luciano Dib, along with PhD student Mr Rodrigo Salazar Gamarra (Peru), carried out training courses for the rehabilitation of patients with trauma and tumours deformities at the Centro de Prótesis Bucomaxilofacial, Hospital CIMEQ, Havana/Cuba. The lecturer and PhD candidate holds the positions of president and secretary of the Board of Directors of the Company.
International Students: UNIP’s Graduate Program in Dentistry also participates in the internationalization process, receiving students from Latin America. There are three Peruvian students enrolled in the Program. One of them, Mr Rodrigo Salazar, has already presented his master’s dissertation and is now a PhD student. His work, under the supervision of Professor Luciano Dib, has already been published and has a strong social impact, as it aims at the post-surgical prosthetic rehabilitation of cancer patients through a 3D-protocol that eliminates moulding steps and decreases the final prosthesis cost. The work had national and worldwide impact and a series of interviews was carried out with the student and the professor at UNIP.
Two other Peruvian students presented their master’s dissertation in 2017, both in the Prosthesis sub-area, and one of them initiated the PhD graduation, and a new student began her master's degree in 2018.
In compliance with the established goal to increase Program internationalization, in 2017, English language courses started being offered.
Part of the Program’s internationalization process can be characterized by the international partnerships and exchanges mentioned below:
Partnerships and International Exchange
- UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG/SWEDEN: the international exchange remains with fellows visits from both Universities. In 2018, with Ms Anna Larsson and Professor Ulf Nannmark, researches were developed in the area of extraoral implantology, with in vivo experiments performed and collected at UNIP School of Dentistry and sent to the University of Gothenburg for microscopic analysis. These experiments generated publications that are now in the final writing phase. The following article was also published as result of this partnership: (authors) De Oliveira FM, Salazar-Gamarra R, Öhman D, Nannmark U, Pecorari V, Dib, LL. “Quality of life assessment of patients utilizing orbital implant-supported prostheses”. Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research, v. x, p. x, 2018.
- UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH / SWITZERLAND: Through Professor Alfredo Mesquita and Professor Mutlu Özcan from the Department of Dental Biomaterials of the University of Zurich, this partnership involves the exchange of knowledge in the areas of implantology and dental materials, with focus on dental ceramics. This partnership, along with the one with UNESP São José dos Campos, keep on bringing results. Article published in 2018: (authors) Moura RV, Kojima NA, Saraceni CHC, Bassolli L, Balducci I, Özcan M, Mesquita AMM. “Evaluation of the Accuracy of Conventional and Digital Impression Techniques for Implant Restorations”. Journal Of Prosthodontics.
- UNIVERSITY OF ZÜRICH AND DEPARTMENT OF MORPHOLOGY AND GENETICS OF THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF SÃO PAULO: Partnership for the development of an application named "Integrated Pain Support" for the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular dysfunctions., Scientific papers to support the system are under development, as well as a specific electronic medical record for TMJ to be implemented at UNIFESP. The partnership has generated, to date, a published article and a research presentation at an International Conference.
- UNIVERSIDAD PERUANA CAYETANO HEREDIA – FACULTAD DE ESTOMATOLOGIA ROBERTO BELTRÃN: Área de medicina y patologia oral y maxillofacial / Área de atención estomatológica de pacientes especiales: for exchange between undergraduate and graduate students concerning experiences in handling patients with special needs and patients with oral manifestations.
- UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO: agreement signed for research in the area of Periodontics, especially aiming at the in-depth study regarding the use of Resveratrol as a modulator of the host response to the presence of periodontal disease and during bone repair processes. As results from this partnership, the following articles were published in journals of relevant impact: (authors) Corrêa MG, Absy S, Tenenbaum H, Ribeiro FV, Cirano FR, Casati MZ, Pimentel SP. “Resveratrol attenuates oxidative stress during experimental periodontitis in rats exposed to cigarette smoke inhalation”. J Periodontal Res. 2018 Oct 22. doi: 10.1111/jre.12622. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30346038.
- UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Partnership signed since 2014 by Professors PhD. Adriano Fonseca de Lima and Flávia Pires Rodrigues for researches related to the evaluation and the development of new resinous compounds, with improvements in both the monomeric part and the initiation systems. The established partnership has been maintained with visits of both professors to the University in England, working along with the Department of Biomaterials, in collaboration with Professors PhD. William M. Palin and Owen Addison, as well as the visit of the mentioned Professors of the University of Birmingham to UNIP. The exchange is financed by both universities through travel funding, which enables the continuous work development, whose result, up to the present moment, consists of two works submitted and still under review, and some works being written in the area of restorative dentistry and dental materials. Professor Denise Carleto Andia, from the area of epigenetic of UNIP’s Strictu Sensu graduate program in Dentistry, also has been working in partnership with Professor PhD. Malgorzata Wiench, researcher of the Department of Epigenetic, Institute of Biological Research, Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, since 2015. The partnership allowed the mobility of Professor Denise Carleto Andia to the University of Birmingham with financial costs borne by her Young Researcher Aid (FAPESP 2013/09650-8). During the internship, Professor Denise investigated the epigenetic regulation in tumour cells of spinal cell cancer. The partnership foresees future visits, depending on new funding of development agencies either from Brazil or from the UK, or in partnership with both countries.
- UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - CHICAGO: Exchange with the Department of Craniomaxillofacial Rehabilitation for the development of a project in the area of digital technology for production of facial prostheses. In November 2018, Professor Rosemarie Sealous, specialist in digital technology, visited UNIP again to teach a course at UNIP’s Strictu Sensu graduate program. The performance of our student Mr Rodrigo Salazar Gamarra, from Peru, under the supervision of Professor Luciano Dib, and in partnership with the University of Illinois, resulted in the creation of a method for the creation of facial prostheses through digital technology with significant impact on the international community, with journalistic articles in the Brazilian and worldwide mass media, in addition to the award by received from MIT as a Humanitarian Innovator for Latin America 2018, for researchers under 35 years of age.
- UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER – ENGLAND: Partnership established in 2015, through Professor Flávia Pires Rodrigues, which studies resinous materials used in Dentistry, with the support of Professor David Watts. The evaluation of the chemical and physical properties of these materials resulting from modifications in the processes of polymerization initiation was effected for the acquisition of materials with better performance. Some articles resulting from the partnership were published at Dental Materials and Brazilian Oral Research journals, and others are being written for subsequent submission. One of them results from the master’s degree dissertation presented by Ms Karina Verzola, supervised by Professor Adriano Fonseca de Lima.
- UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO: In 2016, a partnership was established between Schulich Dentistry, Dep. of Biochemistry, London, Ontario, Canada, with Professor Walter Siqueira (UNIP) and Professor Alfredo Mikail Melo Mesquita. Professor Walter Siqueira worked from UNIP, funded by the institution, in the design of research projects that are in their implementation phase. One of them is of high social impact and concerns the rehabilitation of AIDS patients from the Centre of Special Patient Care, with Professor Elcio Giovani.
- EVOLVA (BASEL - SWITZERLAND): Partnership that has made viable the study "Effect of resveratrol on non-surgical periodontal treatment of smokers diagnosed with Chronic Periodontitis. Prospective evaluation of clinical, microbiological, immunological results, and oral neutrophil quantification".
- OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY: in Japan: a partnership that favours student mobility of the two institutions in the pursuit of knowledge, mainly focused on the area of imaging. This partnership is held between FOUNIP x FOUSP x Okayama. In October 2018, four students were welcomed from the Okayama Dentistry graduate program in , who took part in the Symposium of Patient Care with Special Needs, organized by Professor Elcio M. Giovani; an event that also counted with the presence of two international speakers.
- Reinstatement of the agreement with the National Cancer Institute, NIH, USA, with the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding in 2018.
- Establishment of collaboration with the College of Textile and Chemistry Engineering of the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Lima, Peru. As a result of this collaboration with Peru, 7 works have been published, 2 in 2018, 3 in 2017, and 2 in 2016.
- LATIN AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BUCOMAXILLOFACIAL REHABILITATION: Exchange between UNIP, Instituto Mais Identidade and the society, under the coordination of Professor Luciano Dib, who is the President of the Educational Committee of the Society, responsible for the management and regulation of courses of professional improvement carried out internationally by the society and which will be delivered at UNIP.
- OREMA FOUNDATION – CHILE: This foundation is a charitable entity from Santiago, Chile, which has partnered with the National Hospital of Cancer of Chile, dedicated to the maxillofacial rehabilitation of oncologic patients. The partnership involving Instituto Mais Identidade, UNIP and OREMA Foundation will allow the development and enhancement of digital technologies with the purpose of surgery planning and execution, and rehabilitation prosthetics. There will be professional exchanges, with courses and internships both in Brazil and in Chile.