The orthodontic department is excited to congratulate Dr. Heesoo Oh for receiving an R01 grant titled “Evidence-based Optimization of Treatment Timing in the Craniofacial Complex” from the NIH/NIDCR. This five-year project (5/1/2025–1/31/2030) aims to establish new three-dimensional growth standards of the craniofacial complex using CBCT data from a racially and ethnically diverse sample of children and young adults (ages 5 to 25).

The study will analyze over 40,000 CBCT scans to generate 3D growth standards that account for age, sex, race/ethnicity, facial type, and dental maturation

The aims include:

• Build a large, diverse database of clinically relevant craniofacial phenotypes to serve as the foundation for future analyses.
• Utilize shape-based methods to assess global craniofacial variation and identify clinically meaningful facial types.
• Develop predictive models to improve assessment of growth milestones and future craniofacial development.
• Make growth models publicly available via FaceBase and the AAOF Legacy Collection to encourage clinical adoption.

The overall goal is to support more evidence-based, individualized treatment planning for pediatric craniofacial patients.