Identifying phenomic patterns of dental anomalies in orofacial clefting

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

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Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract Background and Candidate: Children with orofacial clefting present with increased rate of dental anomalies in shape, size, number, symmetry, abnormal eruption and malposition of teeth both inside and outside the cleft area, leading to dental problems and reduction of quality of life. Although the scientific community has recognized these findings for a long time, the specific etiological factors underlying such anomalies still remain elusive. An important step to understanding etiology is via careful phenotypic approaches that can detect the co-occurrence of such anomalies in discernable patterns that can simplify the identification of risk factors. Dr. Brian Howe is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the College of Dentistry of the University of Iowa. His primary research focus is on the identification and characterization of oral phenotypes in an effort to identify etiological factors underlying the oral phenotypic spectrum of nonsyndromic orofacial clefting. Career Goals: Dr. Howe's short term goals are to deepen is knowledge of complex craniofacial phenotypes and expand his current understanding of craniofacial development. His long term goals are to become a funded independent researcher and a leading clinician and educator in the field of craniofacial phenomics and dentistry as a tenure track faculty at a University of Iowa. His research plan is innovative in that it leverages unique bioinformatics algorithms to identify complex oral phenotypic patterns amenable for studies of risk factors and causality. Environment: The University of Iowa has an established reputation for the successful training of graduate and postdoctoral students in research and clinical areas. It offers learning and development seminars focused on career development and advancement with particular benefits from training opportunities from its Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS). Career Development Plan: Dr. Howe is committed to attend courses, tutorials, seminars and relevant conferences as well as meeting regularly with his mentors, collaborators, and advisory committee to fulfill is training aims and gain the knowledge necessary to achieve his future research goals and become an independent clinical researcher. Research Study: This research aims to identify oral phenotypic patterns in orofacial clefting using modern and traditional pattern mining methods in a diverse international population with existing environmental and genetic variables. This knowledge will have key implications in our understanding of the etiology of orofacial clefting as well as driving the implementation of innovative treatment approaches to improve dental outcomes and future preventive strategies.