Dr. Zhen Shen, Ph.D., D.M.D., M.S.D.

Partner – Board-Certified Endodontist

Dr. Zhen Shen is a board-certified endodontist and partner at Fort Bend Dental, where he has provided specialized endodontic care since 2021. A Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics since 2022, he also serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Endodontics at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry. His professional work brings together patient care, clinical teaching, and endodontic research.

Dr. Shen earned his Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and graduated magna cum laude with his D.M.D. from Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He completed his endodontics residency at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry, earning his specialty certificate and M.S.D. in 2021.

In his spare time, Dr. Shen enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, traveling with his family, and playing chess with his kids.

Awards & Honors

• Diplomate, American Board of Endodontics, 2022
• Inductee, Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) National Dental Honor Society, 2019
• Magna Cum Laude, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 2019

Professional Affiliations

• American Board of Endodontics
• Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) National Dental Honor Society
• American Association of Endodontists
• American Dental Association
• American Dental Education Association
• Texas Dental Association
• Greater Houston Dental Society
• Houston Endodontic Alumni and Friends Organization

Academic Appointment & Teaching

As an Associate Professor in the Department of Endodontics at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry, Dr. Shen provides clinical instruction to dental students and endodontic residents as they perform root canal treatment on patients. He has served on the school’s endodontics faculty since 2021 and was promoted to Associate Professor effective September 1, 2026.

Dr. Shen also mentors endodontic residents in research and thesis work for their master’s degrees. He has chaired or served on thesis committees studying root canal irrigation, bioceramic sealers, and inflammation associated with endodontic disease.

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Research & Publications

Dr. Shen’s peer-reviewed publications include research on apical periodontitis—inflammation around the tip of a tooth’s root—as well as root canal irrigation, tissue dissolution, and biological processes related to healing. His research mentorship also includes studies of materials used to seal root canals. His clinical, teaching, and research roles reflect his ongoing involvement in the field of endodontics.

Journal & Professional Service

Dr. Shen has served on the Advisory Board of the Journal of Endodontics and as a manuscript reviewer for the journal since 2021. He also reviews manuscripts for other dental journals, including Case Reports in Dentistry and the Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry. His professional education activities include presenting “Endodontics 101” and “Revisiting 4 Concepts in Endodontics” at Fort Bend Dental Academy.

Selected Publications & Full Bibliography

• SEM and bacteriological evidence of laser-activated irrigation compared to ultrasonic-activated irrigation: a pilot study. Dentistry Journal, 2025.
• Dissolution of bovine palatal tissue with degassed sodium hypochlorite. Dentistry Journal, 2025.
• MicroRNAs markedly expressed in apical periodontitis cooperatively regulate cytokines and growth factors promoting an anti-inflammatory response. Journal of Endodontics, 2023.
• Expression profiling and functional characterization of microRNAs in apical periodontitis. Journal of Endodontics, 2021.
• MicroRNAs: Emerging players in apical periodontitis. Journal of Applied Oral Science, 2021.

Peer Reviewed Original Articles in Journals:

1. Jaramillo DE, Jeong JW, Shen Z, Divito E. SEM and bacteriological evidence of laser-activated irrigation compared to ultrasonic-activated irrigation: a pilot study. Dent J. 13(5):195. 2025.
2. Fang J, Shen Z, van der Hoeven R, Jaramillo DE. Dissolution of bovine palatal tissue with degassed sodium hypochlorite. Dent J. 13(3):110. 2025.
3. Safder M, Chiorini J, Tanaka T, Nakamura H, Clark T, Kirkpatrick T, Shen Z. Autophagy modulates the expression of interferon regulatory factor 8 in apical periodontitis. Oral Health & Dent Sci. 8(5):1-7. 2024.
4. Shen Z, Letra A, Silva RM. MicroRNAs markedly expressed in apical periodontitis cooperatively regulate cytokines and growth factors promoting an anti-inflammatory response. J Endod. 49(3):286-293. 2023.
5. Shen Z, Tsao H, LaRue S, Liu R, Kirkpatrick T, de Souza LC, Letra A, Silva RM. Vascular endothelial growth factor and/or nerve growth factor treatment induces expression of dentinogenic, neuronal and healing markers in stem cells of the apical papilla. J Endod. 47(6):924-931. 2021.
6. Shen Z, Wichnieski C, Carneiro E, Garlet GP, Letra A, Silva RM. Expression profiling and functional characterization of microRNAs in apical periodontitis. J Endod. 47(2):263-271. 2021.
7. Giri S, Aggarwal V, Pontis J, Shen Z, Chakraborty A, Khan A, Mizzen C, Prasanth KV, Ait-Si-Ali S, Ha T, Prasanth SG. The preRC protein ORCA organizes heterochromatin by assembling histone H3 lysine 9 methyltransferases on chromatin. eLife. 4:e06496. 2015.
8. Tripathi V, Shen Z, Chakraborty A, Giri S, Freier SM, Wu X, Zhang Y, Gorospe M, Prasanth SG, Lal A, Prasanth KV. Long noncoding RNA MALAT1 controls cell cycle progression by regulating the expression of oncogenic transcription factor B-MYB. PLoS Genet. 9(3):e1003368. 2013.
9. Shen Z, Prasanth SG. Orc2 protects ORCA from ubiquitin-mediated degradation. Cell Cycle. 11(19):3578-3589. 2012.
10. Shen Z, Chakraborty A, Jain A, Giri S, Ha T, Prasanth KV, Prasanth SG. Dynamic association of ORCA with prereplicative complex components regulates DNA replication initiation. Mol Cell Biol. 32(15):3107-3120. 2012.
11. Wang Z, Marks DL, Carney PS, Millet LJ, Gillette MU, Mihi A, Braun PV, Shen Z, Prasanth SG, Popescu G. Spatial light interference tomography (SLIT). Opt Express. 19(21):19907-19918. 2011.
12. Sathyan KM, Shen Z, Tripathi V, Prasanth KV, Prasanth SG. A BEN-domain-containing protein associates with heterochromatin and represses transcription. J Cell Sci. 124(18):3149-3163. 2011.
13. Mir M, Wang Z, Shen Z, Bednarz M, Bashir R, Golding I, Prasanth SG, Popescu G. Optical measurement of cycle-dependent cell growth. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 108(32):13124-13129. 2011.
14. Dhar A, Ebbinghaus S, Shen Z, Mishra T, Gruebele M. The diffusion coefficient for PGK folding in eukaryotic cells. Biophys J. 99(9):L69-L71. 2010.
15. Zheng R, Shen Z, Tripathi V, Xuan Z, Freier SM, Bennett CF, Prasanth SG, Prasanth KV. Polypurine-repeat-containing RNAs: A novel class of long non-coding RNA in mammalian cells. J Cell Sci. 123(21):3734-3744. 2010.
16. Shen Z, Sathyan KM, Geng Y, Zheng R, Chakraborty A, Freeman B, Wang F, Prasanth KV, Prasanth SG. A WD-repeat protein stabilizes ORC binding to chromatin. Mol Cell. 40(1):99-111. 2010.
17. Tripathi V, Ellis JD, Shen Z, Song DY, Pan Q, Watt AT, Freier SM, Bennett CF, Sharma A, Bubulya PA, Blencowe BJ, Prasanth SG, Prasanth KV. The nuclear-retained noncoding RNA MALAT1 regulates alternative splicing by modulating SR splicing factor phosphorylation. Mol Cell. 39(6):925-938. 2010.
18. Prasanth SG, Shen Z, Prasanth KV, Stillman B. Human origin recognition complex is essential for HP1 binding to chromatin and heterochromatin organization. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 107(34):15093-15098. 2010.
19. Qi Y, Zhang BQ, Shen Z, Chen YH. Antigens containing TAVSPTTLR tandem repeats could be used in assaying antibodies to classical swine fever virus. Acta Virol. 53(4):241-246. 2009.
20. Qi Y, Zhang BQ, Shen Z, Chen YH. Candidate vaccine focused on a classical swine fever virus epitope induced antibodies with neutralizing activity. Viral Immunol. 22(3):205-213. 2009.
21. Qi Y, Liu LC, Zhang BQ, Shen Z, Wang J, Chen YH. Characterization of antibody responses against a neutralizing epitope on the glycoprotein E2 of classical swine fever virus. Arch Virol.153(8):1593-1598. 2008.

Invited Articles in Journals:

1. Shen Z, Silva RM. MicroRNAs: Emerging players in apical periodontitis. J Appl Oral Sci. 29:e20201058. 2021.
2. Li CC, Shen Z, Bavarian R, Yang F, Bhattacharya A. Oral cancer: Genetics and the role of precision medicine. Dent Clin North Am. 62(1):29-46. 2018.
3. Shen Z. The origin recognition complex in human diseases. Biosci Rep. 33(3):e00044. 2013.
4. Shen Z, Prasanth SG. Emerging players in the initiation of eukaryotic DNA replication. Cell Div. 7(1):22. 2012.
5. Chakraborty A, Shen Z, Prasanth SG. “ORCanization” on heterochromatin: Linking DNA replication initiation to chromatin organization. Epigenetics. 6(6):665-670. 2011.

Speaking Engagements

• Conference, symposia, or workshop organizer: 2023, American Association of Endodontists Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, Session moderator
• Oral presentations: (* Primary presenter)
  • 2023 – “Future targeted precision treatment strategies for apical periodontitis: assessing expression of interferon regulatory factor 8 in monocytes after pharmacological modulation of autophagy” American Association of Endodontists Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois
    *Safder M, Shen Z, Chiorini J, de Souza LC, Clark TM, Silva RM, Letra A, Kirkpatrick T
  • 2023 – “A novel in vitro model for evaluating the tissue dissolution effect of lower concentrations of sodium hypochlorite using Gentlewave®” American Association of Endodontists Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois
    *Fang JY, Shen Z, van der Hoeven R, Jaramillo DE
  • 2021 – “Expression profiling and functional characterization of microRNAs in apical periodontitis” American Association of Endodontists Annual Meeting (Virtual)
    *Shen Z, de Souza LC, Letra A, Silva RM
• Poster presentations: (* Primary presenter)
  • 2025 – “Physico-chemical and biological properties of a prototype bioceramic sealer” American Association of Endodontists Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts
    *Crowley D, Kirkpatrick TC, Shen Z, Colmenar D, de Souza LC, Loggins E
  • 2019 – “Student ability on occlusal caries detection using three caries classification systems” Academy of Operative Dentistry Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois
    *Shen Z, Pirooz YE, Chutinan S
  • 2011 – “A novel WD-Repeat protein stabilizes ORC binding to chromatin” Eukaryotic DNA Replication & Genome Maintenance, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
    *Shen Z, Sathyan KM, Geng Y, Zheng R, Freeman BC, Prasanth KV, Prasanth SG
  • 2010 – “A novel WD-Repeat protein stabilizes ORC binding to chromatin” American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    *Shen Z, Sathyan KM, Geng Y, Zheng R, Freeman BC, Prasanth KV, Prasanth SG
  • 2010 – “Nuclear-retained non-coding RNA MALAT1 regulates alternative splicing by modulating the levels of SR splicing factors” American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    *Tripathi V, Ellis JD, Shen Z, Song DY, Pan Q, Watt AT, Freier SM, Bennett CF, Sharma A, Bubulya PA, Blencowe BJ, Prasanth SG, Prasanth KVM
• Continuing Education courses presented:
  • 2024 – “Endodontics 101” Fort Bend Dental Academy, Missouri City, Texas
    Zhen Shen, Ph.D., D.M.D., M.S.D.
  • 2022 – “Revisiting 4 Concepts in Endodontics” Fort Bend Dental Academy, Missouri City, Texas
    Zhen Shen, Ph.D., D.M.D., M.S.D.

Learn more about endodontic care and root canal treatment at Fort Bend Dental.