Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Research

Past research by faculty of the Emory Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery often focused on examinations of variation in the size of titanium plates used in the treatment of mandibular fractures, and clinical trials of endosseous dental implant performance. Current investigative areas include components of temporomandibular joint dysfunction, surgical outcomes, and surgical repair for congenital and traumatic facial deformities.


Investigators

Dr. Gary F. Bouloux

Gary F. Bouloux, DDS, MD, MDSc

Dr. Bouloux is director of research for Emory OMFS. He has conducted several studies of temporomandibular joint dysfunction, including a five-year, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation-funded clinical study that compared the injection of hyaluronic acid, corticosteroid, and placebo during arthrocentesis for TMJ. He has also evaluated reconstruction plates used in the management of jaw fractures and mandibular resection, and investigated the metal hypersensitivity that can develop following total joint replacement.

Dr. Shelly Abramowicz,

Shelly Abramowicz, DMD, MPH

With multiple internal and external grants, Dr. Abramowicz is studying the biological behavior and natural history of congenital and developmental facial deformities in children. These studies include an investigation of temporomandibular joints in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis funded by a Faculty Educator Development Award from the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the American Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation, a retrospective study of pediatric patients with head and neck nontuberculous mycobacterial lymphadenitis, and a study of Jagged1 signaling during maxillary development.

Dr. Stephanie Drew

Stephanie J. Drew, DMD

Dr. Drew's current research interest is in advancing the use of rh-BMP2 for the grafting of alveolar cleft defects. She is known for elevating the use of virtual surgical planning in the daily practice of planning surgery for the correction of skeletal deformations of the jaws, as well as her internationally recognized use of orthognathic surgery and distraction osteogenesis to treat skeletal facial deformations.

Dr. Steven M. Roser

Steven M. Roser, DMD, MD

Dr. Roser is co-PI of a national effort to establish a TMJ implant registry and repository. He also studies mandibular fracture repair and outcomes of temporomandibular joint surgery, has investigated the events that occur during bone healing and replacement of bone using hydroxyapatite, and evaluated the use of finite element analysis in assessing outcome of surgical repair for congenital and traumatic facial deformities.