DDS, 1991, University of Athens, Greece

MS, 1997, University of Rochester

Ph.D., 1999, University of Rochester

Stephanos Kyrkanides, DDS, MS, Ph.D

Chair and Program Director, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
Coordinator, Craniofacial Research Program
Associate Professor, Department of Dentistry
Associate Professor , Neurobiology & Anatomy
Associate Professor, Center for Oral Biology

For information on the Orthodontics program, contact Diane Prinsen at 585-275-5012 or diane_prinsen@urmc.rochester.edu.

Research Interests:
Craniofacial development; basic science level-the study of the role of the nervous system in craniofacial development; translational level-the development of gene therapy for the treatment of congenital craniofacial malformations due to inherited metabolic diseases; and the effects of non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs on periodontal remodeling; clinical level-craniofacial development in children and adults suffering from various craniofacial malformations.

Additional Education:
Certificate, Orthodontics, Eastman Dental Center

Certificate, Temporomandibular Joint Disorders, Eastman Dental Center

Certificate, Advanced Education in General Dentistry, Eastman Dental Center

OVERVIEW

Our research is focused on craniofacial development, at the clinical, basic and translational science levels. At a clinical level, we have characterized in significant depth the effects of orofacial clefting in postnatal craniofacial growth & development, and have consequently contributed to the advancement of early treatment for cleft lip & palate. Furthermore, we have undertaken an extensive effort to redefine the cleft lip and palate phenotype through family-based anthropometric, cephalometric and molecular genetic studies. Our research subjects are obtained through inter-disciplinary collaborations within our medical center, as well as through national and international alliances.

Our basic science research focuses on investigating the role of the nervous system in craniofacial development by taking advantage of the recent developments of molecular biology and genetics. For that purpose, we are developing compound transgenic mice, where the expression of a gene of interest can be turned on (conditional knock-in) or turned off (conditional knockout) at specific times during prenatal and postnatal development. These effects can be targeted to specific cell types and tissues, like the nervous system, or to all the cells and tissues of the organism (global expression). At the translational science level, our research focuses on developing gene therapy for the treatment of craniofacial disorders, such as craniodysostosis. We hope that our efforts will contribute to the development of novel treatment regimes for the management of disabling or fatal disorders, with an emphasis on the face and the cranial skeleton.

PUBLICATIONS

Click to see publications by Dr. Kyrkanides indexed in the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database.

Additional Publications:
Tallents, RH, Restrepo X, ,Kyrkanides, S . Bruxism and Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction. In Paesani et al. Sleep disorders and Bruxism. In Press.