About

Evelyn M. Chung, D.D.S., is a Health Sciences Clinical Professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry and serves as the associate dean of academic programs. She specializes in the treatment of special needs, medically compromised, cancer, geriatric, and dental-phobic patients. Dr. Chung is involved in teaching dental students within the Section of Special Patient Care and Maxillofacial Prosthetics. Her work includes mentoring students in community service missions both internationally and locally, such as the Ticket to Smile program, which provides dental hygiene education and preventive services to residents of the Salvation Army. She has also collaborated with students in the Special Needs Committee to educate patients and caregivers at local regional care facilities for special needs patients. Her research interests include perspectives of third-year dental students on treating special needs patients, dental considerations for cardiac surgery patients, and the management of patients with osteoradionecrosis or osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Research topics

• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Surgery
• Anesthesia
• Pediatrics

Selected publications

• A retrospective chart review evaluating pre-operative dental extractions on patients with end-stage heart failure undergoing advanced surgical cardiac therapies

  Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology · 2022 · 4 citations

  • Medicine
  • Surgery
  • Internal medicine

  OBJECTIVES: End-stage heart failure patients are functionally compromised by multiple physiologic mechanisms, placing them at increased risk of peri- and post-operative complications. This study aimed to evaluate if dental treatment performed before advanced cardiac interventions, including orthotopic heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support, increases the risk of adverse events. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review spanning January 2011 to December 2020 was performed. Inpatients with end-stage heart disease were evaluated by the hospital dentistry service at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. Three hundred and five consults met the inclusion criteria. The patients were divided into 2 groups: those who underwent dental treatment and those who did not require dental treatment. The wait time from dental consultation to cardiac intervention (days), dental complications, medical adverse events, and deaths were evaluated. RESULTS: Dental complications were only experienced in the form of intraoral bleeding. There was no significant difference in the number of medical adverse events or deaths between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The elimination of oral infection before advanced cardiac interventions does not increase the risk of morbidity or mortality.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Pre-Cardiac Dental Treatment Does Not Increase the Risk of Adverse Events

  Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery · 2021 · 4 citations

  • Medicine
  • Pediatrics
  • Surgery

  PURPOSE: Elimination of dental sources of infection prior to cardiovascular surgery (CVS) is performed to reduce perioperative infection and complications. This study aims to evaluate if preoperative dental intervention is associated with increased risk of adverse events. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review of inpatient consultations (n = 1513) completed by the Hospital Dentistry Service at University of California Los Angeles Medical Center from January 2011 to December 2020 was performed. Seven hundred thirty-eight consults met the inclusion criteria and were divided into 4 groups: Group A were patients that were dentally unhealthy and received surgical dental intervention (n = 265), Group B were patients that were dentally unhealthy and underwent non-surgical dental treatment (n = 14), Group C were patients that were dentally unhealthy and did not receive the recommended dental treatment (n = 29), and Group D were patients that were dentally healthy requiring no intervention (n = 430). They were evaluated for major adverse events in 3 categories: dental complications, medical adverse events and death. RESULTS: Dental complications were only experienced in Group A, all of which were bleeding. Only 2 patients were found to have major bleeding, which was more likely due to anticoagulation and CVS rather than dental extractions. There was no significant difference in the number of medical adverse events or number of deaths during the postoperative period between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that elimination of oral infection prior to CVS does not increase the risk of morbidity or mortality.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dexmedetomidine reduces the amount of benzodiazepines and opioids administered during moderate conscious sedation for dental treatment

  Special Care in Dentistry · 2020 · 3 citations

  • Medicine
  • Anesthesia
  • Internal medicine

  AIM: To assess the efficacy of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on the intravenous moderate sedation (IVMS) regimen, while treating patients of the special patient care (SPC) population. This study aims to incorporate DEX into the typical IVMS drug regimen in order to reduce the amount of benzodiazepines (BZD) and opioids administered and as a result reduce the amount of unwanted side effects. METHOD AND RESULTS: A retrospective study was performed in the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) SPC Clinic, where 42 patients were seen with and without DEX for dental treatment under IVMS. Medications administered, vital signs, and complications were recorded at 5 minute intervals over the first hour. All BZDs and opioids were converted to their IV midazolam and IV fentanyl equivalents, respectively. An opioid conversion equation was developed to summate the total amount of anesthetic agents administered. Data were analyzed by t-test. The amount of BZDs administered was reduced, however the decrease was not statistically significant (P = .066). There was a significant reduction in opioids (P < .05) and total anesthetic agents (P < .05) administered. CONCLUSION: The addition of DEX to the anesthetic regimen results in a reduction of overall medications administered.

  PublisherDOI

• The efficacy of pentoxifylline/tocopherol combination in the treatment of osteoradionecrosis

  Special Care in Dentistry · 2015-06-17 · 27 citations

  article

  BACKGROUND: Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is an unfortunate complication of radiation therapy to the head and neck. Treatment has historically centered around hyperbaric oxygen therapy and surgical removal of necrotic bone. Recently, a new theory on the pathogenesis of ORN has proposed treatment with pentoxifylline (PTX) and tocopherol/vitamin E. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of pentoxifylline and tocopherol in the management of patients with ORN. METHODS: The hospital dentistry group managed 13 patients that presented to our service with exposed bone after cancercidal doses of radiation to the head and neck. The patients were prescribed PTX 400 mg bid and tocopherol 1,000 IU QD. RESULTS: Eleven of the 13 patients exhibited improvement and resolution. No adverse events were noted during treatment. CONCLUSION: This medical modality of treating ORN appears safe and effective, inducing bone and mucosal healing.

  PublisherDOI

• Dental treatment in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit for patients with ventricular assist devices awaiting heart transplant: a case series

  Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology · 2014-05-06 · 10 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Increased prevalence of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw with vitamin D deficiency in rats

  Journal of Bone and Mineral Research · 2010-02-01 · 184 citations

  articleOpen access

  Necrotic bone exposure in the oral cavity has recently been reported in patients treated with nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates as part of their therapeutic regimen for multiple myeloma or metastatic cancers to bone. It has been postulated that systemic conditions associated with cancer patients combined with tooth extraction may increase the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). The objective of this study was to establish an animal model of bisphosphonate-related ONJ by testing the combination of these risk factors. The generation of ONJ lesions in rats resembling human disease was achieved under the confluence of intravenous injection of zoledronate (ZOL; 35 microg/kg every 2 weeks), maxillary molar extraction, and vitamin D deficiency [VitD(-)]. The prevalence of ONJ in the VitD(-)/ZOL group was 66.7%, which was significantly higher (p < .05, Fisher exact test) than the control (0%), VitD(-) (0%), and ZOL alone (14.3%) groups. Similar to human patients, rat ONJ lesions prolonged the oral exposure of necrotic bone sequestra and were uniquely associated with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia. The number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick-end label-positive (TUNEL(+)) osteoclasts significantly increased on the surface of post-tooth extraction alveolar bone of the VitD(-)/ZOL group, where sustained inflammation was depicted by [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose micro-positron emission tomography (microPET). ONJ lesions were found to be associated with dense accumulation of mixed inflammatory/immune cells. These cells, composed of neutrophils and lymphocytes, appeared to juxtapose apoptotic osteoclasts. It is suggested that the pathophysiologic mechanism(s) underpinning ONJ may involve the interaction between bisphosphonates and compromised vitamin D functions in the realm of skeletal homeostasis and innate immunity.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Radiographic quantification of chronic dental infection and its relationship to the atherosclerotic process in the carotid arteries

  Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology and Endodontology · 2010-01-25 · 36 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Comparing cutting efficiencies of diamond burs using a high-speed electric handpiece.

  PubMed · 2006-09-28 · 15 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This study sought to compare the cutting efficiency of different diamond burs on initial use as well as during repeated use, alternating with sterilization. Long, round-end, tapered diamond burs with similar diameter, profile, and diamond coarseness (125-150 microm grit) were used. A high-torque, high-speed electric handpiece (set at 200,000 rpm) was utilized with a coolant flow rate of 25 mL/min. Burs were tested under a constant load of 170 g while cuts were made on a machinable ceramic substrate block. Each bur was subjected to five consecutive cuts for 30 seconds of continuous operation and the cutting depths were measured. All burs performed similarly on the first cut. Cutting efficiencies for three of the bur groups decreased significantly after the first cycle; however, by the fifth cycle, all bur groups performed similarly without any significant differences (p > 0.05). A scanning electron microscope revealed significant crystal loss after each use.

  Publisher

• Composite resin bond strength to primary dentin prepared with ER, CR: YSSG laser

  Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry · 2006-09-01 · 39 citations

  articleOpen access

  This in vitro study evaluated the shear bond strength of a hybrid composite resin bonded to primary dentin prepared with an Er, Cr:YSGG hydrokinetic laser compared to conventional bur prepared primary dentin. The results suggest that primary dentin surfaces treated with the Er, Cr:YSGG laser, with or without etching, may provide comparable or increased composite resin bond strengths depending upon bonding agent used.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dental Management of Chemo-radiation Patients

  Journal of the California Dental Association · 2006-09-01 · 14 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The utilization of combined chemoradiation therapy has recently increased in the treatment of head and neck cancers. This patient population is significantly more prone to various oral complications during and after medical therapy. Oral complications and long-term effects include mucositis, xerostomia, alterations in taste, vascular compromise, mucosal thinning and increased risk of rampant caries and periodontal disease. The most serious oral complication that can arise is osteoradionecrosis. Managing patients properly prior to medical treatment can help decrease these potential complications during and after treatment. This purpose of this article is to review the different radiation and chemotherapy regimens used to treat patients with head and neck cancers, as well as protocols in the dental management of these patients before, during, and after medical treatment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Eric Sung

  University of California, Los Angeles

  14 shared

• Arthur H. Friedlander

  6 shared

• Neal R. Garrett

  3 shared

• B. Kubak

  University of California, Los Angeles

  3 shared

• Reeva C. Mincer

  University of California, Los Angeles

  3 shared

• Angelo A. Caputo

  University of Messina

  2 shared

• Renna Hazboun Zahr

  2 shared

• Russell E. Christensen

  1 shared