David Rice

David Rice is Head of the Department of Dentistry and Professor/Head of Orthodontics at the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital (Since 2007).

For 15 years (2010-2025) Prof Rice was Editor of the European Journal of Orthodontics. As Editor, he was intimately involved in developing and improving the standards of all aspects of orthodontic research with the ultimate goal of improving patient care that is based on quality evidence.

Prof Rice’s research is aimed at understanding the aetiology of malocclusion and craniofacial anomalies such as cleft lip/palate and craniosynostosis. Practically speaking this work helps patients & clinicians understand their conditions, particularly regarding the most common questions that people ask in clinics ‘What has caused the condition?’ ‘When has it occurred?’ ‘Will it occur again or get worse?’ & ‘Can it be treated?’

Lecture Details

We all know that we share dental characteristics (eg crowding, impacted teeth) with, and look similar (eg mandibular prognathia/retrognathia) to our parents and siblings. Why is this so?

I will present a short overview of what we know about the genetics of orthodontic malocclusion. I will present findings from my own research group that focuses on both skeletal malocclusion and dental traits. This includes developmental biological studies and population-based genome-wide association studies (GWAS) studies. I will describe how these findings may help patients and clinicians understand their conditions and how this information may be used in the future. This talk will be interesting to both clinicians as well as the most committed craniofacial researchers.

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Learning Objectives:

• To have a broad appreciation of some methods used to uncover the aetiology of malocclusion
• To have a good understanding of the importance of genetics in the aetiology of malocclusion
• To have a good awareness of the possible implications for treatment/clinical care and conceivable future developments