Dr. Aida Meto graduated in Dentistry in 2011 at the Italian Catholic University “Our Lady of Good Council”, in Tirana, Albania. In November 2017, she started her PhD School in Clinical and Experimental Medicine at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, as a full time student, with scholarship. Currently she is attending the last year of the 3-year PhD program.
During her first two years of PhD, she has performed in vitro studies to evaluate the efficacy of a copper-calcium hydroxide compoundon several microbial species dwelling in the oral cavity. The effects of such compound to impair both the microbial planktonic forms as well as their capacity to build up a biofilm, have been performed. The results obtained were applied to an ex vivo pilot study, in which the ability of such compound to drastically reduce the microbial plaque formed on the surface of transparent orthodontic aligners was demonstrated (case-report from a volunteer).
During her second year, she spent almost 3 months as an international student in Prof. José F. Siqueira Jr’s team, in Rio de Janeiro-Brazil. During this stage, she acquired new experience on microbiological techniques in the endodontics field. In particular, she carried out ex vivo experiments with extracted teeth used for pilot studies on microbial pathogenesis, novel decontamination approaches and therapeutic protocols.
During her third year, her attention focused on propolis, a natural substance known for its high antimicrobial activity and already successfully used in the treatment of dental diseases. Through an in vitro study, the efficacy of propolis has been demonstrated to affect some virulence factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, such as its growth ability, its capacity to form a biofilm, the release of extracellular DNA and phenazine production.
Her three-year PhD research activity has resulted in several oral and poster presentations as well as in 5 manuscripts published in international journals of Dentistry and Microbiology.