Research award winners recognized

Abstract

The Council on Scientific Affairs (COSA) recently announced its selection of the best basic science and clinical research studies submitted by Canadian and US postgraduate orthodontic programs. Plan to hear their presentations and honor these scholars by attending the 109th Annual Session in Boston, May 1-5, 2009. The Milo Hellman Research Award winner for 2009 is Rodrigo F. Viecilli, Indiana University/Purdue University, for his PhD study entitled, “Orthodontic mechanotransduction and the role of the P2X7 receptor.” Although many investigators have suggested associations between genetic factors and root resorption, the mechanical environment has been inadequately controlled or assumed to be trivial after application of a known force. This study is one of the first to control the mechanical environment and select histologic sectioning planes based on stress computations. Thus, it was demonstrated that the influence of genetics on external root resorption can be independent of mechanical and anatomic factors. In clinical terms, hypothetically, patients with the same root morphology and treated with identical orthodontic mechanics might have dissimilar root resorption responses as a direct consequence of genetic differences. A mouse model was used in this study to describe and compare orthodontic mechanotransduction in 2 types of mice. The P2X7 receptor plays a crucial role in bone biology and inflammation. Its main function is to promote necrotic tissue metabolism by ensuring a normal acute phase inflammatory response. By using finite element analysis, mouse orthodontic mechanics were scaled to produce typical human stress levels. External root resorption, bone modeling, and bone remodeling were analyzed with fluorescent bone labels. Relationships between the biologic responses and the calculated stresses were statistically tested and compared between mouse types. There were direct relationships between certain stress magnitudes and root resorption and bone formation. Hyalinization and root and bone resorption were different between the 2 types of mice, based on which group was missing the P2X7 receptor. Orthodontic responses are related to the principal stress patterns in the periodontal ligament, and the P2X7 receptor plays a significant role in their mechanotransduction. The Harry Sicher Research Award winner is Alia Aljabeiti, University of the Pacific, for her MSD thesis entitled, “TGFβ3 is associated with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate in Guatemalan population.” The identification of factors that contribute to the etiology of nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NCL/P) is important for prevention, treatment planning, and education. With more couples seeking genetic counseling as part of their family planning, the knowledge of how specific genes and environmental factors contribute to the formation of NCL/P has gained increased importance. TGFβ3 is one of several candidate genes implicated in the etiology of clefts. As part of this case-control study, 237 subjects affected with NCL/P were identified at the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Controls numbering 168 persons with no history of NCL/P from the same hospital were also studied. The results showed for the first time the association between TGFβ3 rs2268625 C/T polymorphism and NCL/P, and confirmed for the Guatemalan population the association between TGFβ3 rs2300607 A/T polymorphism and NCL/P. The identification of genes involved in causing NCL/P is the first step in formulating preventive measures to reduce the occurrence of this condition. The remaining 2 prizes selected by COSA are the Thomas M. Graber Awards of Special Merit, both from the basic science research category this year. The first award goes to Padma M. Mukherjee, University of Connecticut, for the study entitled “Cherubism gene Sh3bp2 is important for optimal bone formation, osteoblast differentiation and function.” The second basic research award goes to Benita Wong, University of California at San Francisco, for the study, “Role of neural crest cells in trigeminal nerve morphogenesis.” Congratulations to this year's winners of AAO's highest research awards. COSA received 23 electronic submissions this year and thanks all applicants, department chairs, and mentors for their interest in making these research findings available to our specialty.