Research & Discovery

July 14, 2022 | Courtney Chandler - UConn Health

UConn Orthodontics Program Recognized Nationally for Research Activity

Since 1997, UConn has received at least 38 awards from the American Association of Orthodontists, with a total research funding of approximately $660,000

(Adobe Stock photo)

The division of Orthodontics at the UConn School of Dental Medicine has been recognized by the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation (AAOF) as one of the top programs in the country with the most research funding from the AAOF.

The AAOF—the charitable arm of the leading orthodontics organization, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO)—provides support to education programs and research in the field of orthodontics.

At the recent conference held in Miami Beach, Florida, the UConn orthodontics research program was recognized for its consistent success in winning a large number of awards and research funding over the years.

“The UConn Orthodontics program is an outstanding example of a strong clinical program that is also very active in research,” says Dr. Rajesh Lalla, associate dean for research at the UConn School of Dental Medicine. “The results of their research efforts can influence clinical care well beyond our own institution.”

Since 1997, UConn has received at least 38 awards from the AAOF, with a total research funding of approximately $660,000. These awards—ranging from $5,000 for awards to trainees to $100,000 for faculty awards—have supported UConn dental research projects in the field of orthodontics. These projects have included both clinical and laboratory studies on various aspects of orthodontic tooth movement and temporomandibular joint disorders.

A number of orthodontics residents have won AAOF awards, including the Research Aid Award, the William R. Profitt Resident Scholar Award, and the Thomas M. Graber Award of Special Merit. This year, at the 2022 AAO meeting in May, resident Dr. Ke Wang won third place in the basic research category for the William R. Profitt Resident Scholar Award and presented her latest research entitled “Effects of Alendronate on Periodontal Ligament Entheses in Osteogenesis Imperfecta Mice​.” Wang’s research had previously garnered the AAOF’s Charles J. Burstone Research Aid Award.

“AAOF funding has been very instrumental in supporting the faculty and resident’s research in Orthodontics,” says Dr. Sumit Yadav, associate professor of orthodontics and research director for the residency program. “Due to AAOF funding, we were able to collect preliminary data and were successful in obtaining the intramural and extramural funding (NIH/NIDCR).”

Yadav continues: “AAOF funding provided me the opportunity to work with numerous residents over the past 10 years on their cutting-edge and innovative research, which resulted in numerous accolades both nationally and internationally.”

UConn faculty also have a strong track record of winning AAOF grant awards. Dr. Eliane Dutra, Dr. Madhur Upadhyay, Dr. Flavio Uribe, and Dr. Sumit Yadav  have won the Orthodontic Faculty Development Fellowship and/or the Biomedical Research Award. Another current UConn faculty member, Dr. Niloufar Azami, won a Research Aid Award and the second place Charley Schultz Resident Scholar Award, during the time she was a resident in training at UConn.

Dr. Uribe, who serves as chair of the Division of Orthodontics, says: “We are very proud of all our  faculty  and residents commitment to orthodontic and craniofacial research through the  history of our  orthodontics  program. Our consistent success relies on solid proposals that include both basic science and clinical projects that aim to advance the knowledge in our field.  Our Division is committed to continue supporting our research efforts and maintaining the high success in achieving extramural funding from entities such as the AAOF.”