Human teeth function to mechanically break down items of food by cutting and crushing them in preparation for swallowing and digesting. As such, they are considered part of the human digestive system. Humans have four types of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars, which each have a specific function. The incisors cut the food, the canines tear the food and the molars and premolars crush the food. The roots of teeth are embedded in the maxilla or the mandible and are covered by gums. Teeth are made of multiple tissues of varying density and hardness.
A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate contains an opening into the nose. The term orofacial cleft refers to either condition or to both occurring together. These disorders can result in feeding problems, speech problems, hearing problems, and frequent ear infections. Less than half the time the condition is associated with other disorders.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a surgical specialty focusing on reconstructive surgery of the face, facial trauma surgery, the oral cavity (mouth), head and neck, and jaws, as well as facial cosmetic surgery/facial plastic surgery including cleft lip and cleft palate surgery.
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is a branch of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The institute aims to improve the oral, dental, and craniofacial health through research and the distribution of important health information to the American people.
The Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine is the dental school of Nova Southeastern University. It is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. When it opened in 1997, it was the first new dental school to open in the United States in 24 years. It is the largest dental school in Florida. The school is accredited by the American Dental Association.
The University of Washington School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of Washington. It is located in Seattle, and is currently the only school of dentistry in the state of Washington. The school emphasizes research in anxiety, orofacial pain, tissue repair and regeneration, immune response to bacteria, and practice based research.
FaceBase is an NIH-supported initiative that began in September 2009. Funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the FaceBase Consortium is a five-year initiative that systematically compiles the biological instructions to construct the middle region of the human face and precisely define the genetics underlying its common developmental disorders such as cleft lip and palate. A range of genetic and environmental factors are thought to contribute to facial clefting and FaceBase is designed to enhance investigations into these causes and their outcomes.
Dr. Ravindra Nanda is a professor and Head of the Department of Craniofacial Sciences and Chair of the Division of Orthodontics at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. He is part of the founding faculty of School of Dental Medicine and has been at the University of Connecticut since 1972 where he also holds an Alumni Chair in the Orthodontics Division. He is an innovator of various appliances in orthodontics. His research and clinical interests include adolescent and adult orthodontics, the biology of tooth mobility, craniofacial orthopedics, biomechanics and developing efficient mechanics to deliver orthodontic care.
Hermann F. Sailer is a German maxillofacial surgeon. He leads the Klinik Professor Sailer in Zürich and is the founder of the Cleft-Children International Foundation.
Martha J. Somerman is an internationally known researcher and educator in medicine, focusing on defining the key regulators controlling development, maintenance, and regeneration of dental, oral, and craniofacial tissues. She was 'Chief Lab of Laboratory of Oral Connective Tissue Biology (LOCTB) at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) located in Bethesda, Maryland.
T. M. "Tom" Graber was an American orthodontist known for his contributions to the field of orthodontics. Graber wrote 28 books on orthodontics and dental anatomy. He also wrote chapters in more than 20 books and over 175 published articles.
Calvin Suveril Case was an American orthodontist who is one of the earliest figures in orthodontics. Case did extensive work with cleft lip and palate and is known for developing the Velum Obturator. Case is also known for his part in the Extraction Debate of 1911 that happened between Edward Angle and Case.
Katherine Vig is an American orthodontist. Vig is the past president of American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association.
Irma Thesleff is a developmental biologist and Professor Emerita at the University of Helsinki known for her research on the development of mammalian organs, especially tooth development.
Niki M. Moutsopoulos is a Greek periodontist and immunologist. She is a senior investigator in the oral immunity and infection section at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Moutsopoulos specializes in oral immunology and periodontitis. Her research program focuses on host-microbial interactions that can drive chronic inflammatory responses and tissue destruction in the oral cavity.
Marie Ussing Nylen is a Danish-American biologist, dentist, microscopist, and badminton player known for her research on the morphology of tooth enamel and her contributions to refining the electron microscope as an aide in dental research at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDR). She was the first woman director of the NIDR's Intramural Research Program. Nylen became director of the NIDR extramural research program in 1984. In 1947 and 1953, she won the women's world singles event at the All England Open Badminton Championship.
Laurie Kay McCauley is an American dental and medical scholar and academic administrator. She has been serving as the 17th and current provost and executive vice president for academic affairs of the University of Michigan since May 2022.
Jennifer Y. Webster-Cyriaque is an American dentist and immunologist specializing in the oral microbiome, salivary gland disease in patients with HIV, and cancer-causing viruses. She became the deputy director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research in November 2020. Webster-Cyriaque was a faculty member at UNC Adams School of Dentistry and the UNC School of Medicine for 21 years.
