Beatboxing dental student finds his rhythm in research
By Alexander McComb
I want to take care of my mouth so that I can continue beatboxing. And, overall, I'm just curious about the oral cavity as a structure.
-Keng-Shuo (Alex) Pi
When Keng-Shuo (Alex) Pi was eight years old, his growing curiosity for the science of the mouth started to inspire two different passions: Dentistry and beatboxing.
It was around that age he started learning how to move his mouth in different ways that would create unique sounds – a technique known as beatboxing. From there, one thing led to another, bringing Pi to the Doctor of Dental Surgery program at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
“I want to take care of my mouth so that I can continue beatboxing,” Pi said. “And, overall, I'm just curious about the oral cavity as a structure.”
A recent winner at the School’s Dentistry Research Day competition, Pi compared the dedication it takes to master producing the clean, quick sounds of beatboxing to the long hours of practice required to gain expertise in dentistry.
“That sort of replicates what dentistry is about,” he said. “A lot of these skills that you learn, you have to continue practicing and then you have to essentially master your craft.”
Longer lasting teeth and smiles
Pi’s research focuses on developing new material for dental implants, as an alternative to titanium, which can cause colouration and aesthetics issues — giving some teeth a grey tint and causing allergic reactions in some patients.
“The idea is to have implants for patients who cannot have conventional implants,” said Dr. Sheila Butler, assistant professor in Dentistry and Pi’s supervisor.
A committed student, Pi devotes hours above and beyond those required of him as part of his studies, said Butler.
To Pi, it’s all about helping people. What he’s doing now could improve dental patients’ quality of life and lead to “customized and better clinically-performing implants for patients who wish to have new, longer-lasting teeth and smiles,” he said.
He said he was “shocked” to win the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Presentation Award at the Schulich Dentistry Research Day competition in October 2023. He was sitting at the back of the room, packing up his materials, when he heard his name called as the winner.
There's always room to grow and there's always options to explore.
- Keng-Shuo (Alex) Pi
With the win came a nomination as Western’s candidate for the Canadian Dental Association-Dentsply Student Clinician Research Competition in Vancouver in March, where Pi took second place in the nation-wide competition and received a 2024 Oral Health Scholarship from the Pierre Fauchard Academy Oral Health Foundation.
These accomplishments proved to him that he was on the right path, Pi said, and gave him “a stronger sense of belonging” in research.
Long-term, he wants to move from research to clinical practice, and eventually become a professor.
“There's always room to grow and there's always options to explore,” he said.
But for now, Pi will stay curious and keep progressing, one beat at a time.
