UT Health San Antonio

Chih-Ko Yeh, B.D.S., Ph.D.

Professor

Comprehensive Dentistry

Currently seeking Ph.D. students

Dr. Yeh is a geriatric dentist with a Ph.D. in Oral Biology and clinical specialty training in Oral Medicine.  His research interests for the last 30 years have been in the area of Oral Biology/Oral Medicine and have included studies examining the effect of age and age-related diseases on oral health, emphasizing saliva and salivary gland biology/physiology.  His studies have included monitoring salivary gland function (saliva production), using clinical samples from aging, hypertensive, and diabetic stratified populations and HIV infected patients and exploring the pathogenesis of age-related oral diseases and salivary gland diseases.  He is especially interested in salivary gland regeneration/repair by identifying and expanding salivary gland stem cells using genomic and proteomic approaches.  Most recently, Dr. Yeh’s laboratory has been involved in several translational studies focused on developing saliva-based diagnostics using nanotechnology and long-term anti-candida denture materials. His laboratory is well equipped for studies using modern chemical, physiological, and molecular/cell biological approaches.