CCMB Associate Professor Stephen Yen has recently been awarded a U01 grant from the National Institutes of Health entitled “Clinical effectiveness of late maxillary protraction for cleft lip and palate.” In this project, Dr. Yen and his collaborators will conduct a multicenter trial that compares surgical and protraction-based treatments for skeletal underbite (Class III malocclusion), which is one of the most difficult problems associated with cleft lip and palate. Among the many surgeries an individual with cleft palate can expect to undergo, the surgery to correct skeletal underbite, normally performed once adolescent growth is complete, is the most difficult and expensive. A cohort receiving this standard orthognathic surgery at age 17 will be compared with a cohort receiving a non-surgical intervention, maxillary protraction, beginning at age 13, while the maxilla is still developing. This study will investigate whether non-surgical, non-invasive maxillary protraction may reduce or eliminate the need for surgery, potentially reducing the cost of care associated with cleft lip and palate. With this grant support, Dr. Yen and his team will significantly expand the translational research component at the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC.

Congratulations to Dr. Yen and his team!