Mary Anne Melo, DDS, MSc, PhD FADM is an associate professor and division director of operative dentistry at the School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A. Her current research interests are focused primarily on 1) oral biofilm modulation with photo-disinfection strategies and nanotechnology-based dental materials; 2) biofilm modeling with the development of new in vitro caries/biofilm models, and 3) the translational research for the development of clinically relevant therapeutic strategies for control of dental caries. She has authored over 130 original articles and serves on the editorial board for several scientific journals in dentistry, medicine, and biomaterials.