Ann Arbor, MI — April 11, 2012 — For the second time in as many years, a recent graduate of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry’s orthodontics program has won the prestigious Milo Hellman Research Award from the American Orthodontics Association.  The award, which will be presented during the organization’s annual conference next month, recognizes the most meritorious research paper submitted by a resident in a graduate orthodontics program in the U.S. or Canada. 

Dr. Ashwini Joshi (DDS 2008, MS 2011), who now practices in the Chicago area, won the award for her research that investigated the effect of IGF-1 injections into the jaw joints of rats to see if growth of the lower jaw was enhanced.  IGF-1 is one of several growth factors that influence bone and cartilage growth.  Conventional treatments for patients with small or asymmetrical lower jaws include the use of functional appliances whose results are unpredictable or orthognathic surgery. 

Joshi’s research suggests that injections of that growth factor might be able to reliably enhance and control jaw growth.

“Recent advances in molecular biology have increased our understanding of genetic and biomolecular factors controlling mandibular growth,” she said.  “The results of this research show that IGF-1 injections in rats caused an increase in the length of the lower jaw compared to untreated rats.  It also improved the quality of bone formation.” 

Joshi added the study has opened up avenues for research in potential therapeutic uses of IGF-1 to enhance mandibular growth.  Emphasizing that further research is needed, “using IGF-1 alone and in combination with other growth factors may lead to better understanding of jaw growth,” she said.  

However, Joshi cautioned that practical applications of the research in orthodontic patients with retrusive or small lower jaws, which cause poor alignment of teeth and an increased overjet of the incisors, is probably years away.  She added that IGF-1 has been extensively studied in medicine for promoting bone formation in osteoporosis, bone fractures, and growth retardation.

Dr. Sunil Kapila, chair of the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, noted that besides achieving significant recognition as a result of receiving AAO’s top research award, Ashwini’s work “sets the stage for our continued efforts to apply biomedical research to orthodontic therapy, particularly in children with substantial facial growth disturbances.”  He added, “It is possible that in the future these types of findings will have far reaching implications to less invasive treatments with more predictable results in children with deficient lower jaws.”

Last year, Dr. Brad Hudson (MS 2010) won the Milo Helman Award for his research using an important regulator of bone metabolism, osteoprotegerin, to possibly mitigate orthodontic relapse.  Both Drs. Joshi and Hudson were mentored by Kapila and Dr. Nan Hatch, an assistant professor in the same department.