Research summary
Children who are missing teeth face a range of potential problems—from chewing, choking and digestion hazards to self-esteem issues related to their appearance. As a pediatric dental clinician-scientist and Canada Research Chair in Craniofacial and Dental Development, Dr. Joy Richman is trying to improve children’s oral health.
She and her research team hope to discover the environmental factors that protect fetuses from developing craniofacial abnormalities, such as cleft lips. They are using chicken embryos for this work, in part because these can be accessed directly through windows in their shells. The team’s other goal is to define the cellular and molecular basis of permanent tooth formation. Ultimately, Richman and her team hope their discoveries will improve children’s lives by leading to new therapies for teeth that never come in or are lost to accident or disease.