Research

The Department of Pediatric Dentistry has a well established and long history of conducting research in a wide variety of fields to improve the oral health of children. The department is currently involved in research in areas of genetics, child health services research, and clinical studies. Faculty, residents and dental students are all actively involved in interdisciplinary research projects.

Genetics Research

The Department of Pediatric Dentistry is actively involved in craniofacial genetics research and has been a leader in this field. Current research investigates the understanding of the molecular control of tooth formation and the identification and characterization of hereditary conditions involving the craniofacial complex. These studies involve human and mouse models. The Department has substantial funding from the National Institute of Dental Research for characterization of the phenotype and genotype of hereditary craniofacial conditions such as cleft palate and amelogenesis imperfecta. The Department is also engaged in investigations to understand environment and genetic interactions of conditions such as fluorosis and determinants of bone density.

Child Health Services Research

Health Services Research is the pursuit of knowledge and the understanding of the financing, organization, delivery, and outcomes of health services. Translation to better patient care and providing policymakers and other health care leaders with information needed to make critical health care decisions. The department is actively involved in all four major domains of health services research: quality, effectiveness efficiency and ecology. More specifically current-ongoing studies examine healthcare disparities in the oral health delivered to low-income young children, dental health professional shortage areas, and costs effectiveness studies of publicly financed programs.

Faculty Research Areas

Diane Dilley, DDS
Research interests include dental materials and pharmacological sedation.

Eric Everett, PhD
Research interests include craniofacial genetics directed at understanding the molecular control of the development of fluorosis.

Lorne Koroluk DMD, MS
Research interests include growth and development, mix dentition analysis, early orthodontic treatment and dental trauma.

Jessica Y. Lee DDS, MPH, PhD
Research interests include dental trauma, child health services research, access to care, health literacy, econometric methods and cost analysis studies.

F. Tom McIver DDS, MS
Research interests include child behavior, dentistry for the special patient and issues related to access to dental care.

Rocio B. Quinonez, DMD, MS, MPH
Research interests include the interface between dentistry and medicine, perinatal/infant oral health and cost-effectiveness analysis.

Michael W. Roberts DDS, MScD
Research interests include medically compromised patients, hospital dentistry, lasers and eating disorders.

William F. Vann, Jr. DMD, MS, PhD
Research interests include conscious sedation clinical trials, dental trauma, and child health services research.

J. Timothy Wright DDS, MS
Research interests include craniofacial genetics directed at understanding the molecular control of tooth formation and the identification and characterization of hereditary conditions involving the craniofacial complex.

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