Susan Baloul ORTHO 09, ORTHO 11 Selected to Receive Prestigious Milo Hellman Research Award

On January 8, the Council on Scientific Affairs (COSA) selected Susan Baloul ORTHO 09, ORTHO 11 as the winner of the 2010 American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Milo Hellman Research Award. The award will be presented at the Excellence Luncheon held during 2010 AAO Annual Session in Washington, D.C. in May.

Dr. Baloul was chosen for this prestigious award based on her research titled, "Mechanism of Action and Morphological Changes in the Alveolar Bone in Response to Selective Alveolar Decortication Facilitated Tooth Movement." She chose this topic because of her interest and experience in both periodontics and orthodontics. Dr. Baloul worked on this research over a three-year span of time while completing her DSc in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM).

Associate Professor of Periodontology & Oral Biology Dr. I. Alpdogan Kantarci mentored Dr. Baloul on this research project, which sought to test if corticotomy-induced osteoclastogenesis and bone remodeling underlie the orthodontic tooth movement and how selective alveolar decortication enhances the rate of tooth movement.

"This was an interesting area for us to get involved in and it was certainly a challenge to learn about bone biology in response to surgery assisted orthodontic tooth movement," said Dr. Kantarci.

To better understand the mechanism, Dr. Baloul used 114 Sprague-Dawley rats who were separated into three treatment groups. The groups included corticotomy alone, tooth-movement alone, and “combined” therapy. Changes in each therapy group were assessed using faxitron analyses, microcomputed tomography, histomorphometric studies, and quantitative-real time PCR (q-PCR) of expressed mRNAs.

"Susan developed novel assays for alveolar bone structures of the rats, isolated sufficient amounts of RNA to study numerous markers by q-PCR, adapted micro-CT measurement for the 3-dimensional changes in the alveolar bone, and generated large amounts of samples for future testing," said Dr. Kantarci. "In order to complete such a thorough characterization of the alveolar bone response, Susan worked hard, spent weekends and evenings in the lab, and evaluated her interim data very frequently getting exposed to sophisticated statistical analyses."

The resulting data—which was consistent at all levels of analysis—suggested alveolar decortication enhances the rate of tooth movement during the initial tooth displacement phase. This results in a coupled mechanism of bone resorption and bone formation during the earlier stages of treatment and this mechanism underlies the rapid orthodontic tooth movement.

"The result of Susan’s research was an extremely well-received doctorate thesis by her committee and a clear understanding of the tooth movement not only in surgery-assisted models, but also using conventional techniques," added Dr. Kantarci.

"This is a great honor for GSDM and the Department of Orthodontics, and is a credit to both Dr. Kantarci for his mentoring of Susan and to Susan herself, for all the effort she put in," said Anthony A. Gianelly Chair in Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics and Director of the Postdoctoral Program in Orthodontics Dr. Leslie Will. "Indeed, Susan spent quite some time last fall preparing her manuscript and application, long after the research was complete. I am very proud of Susan, who has shown great determination, initiative, and willingness to work hard."

“It is an honor to be the recipient of the Milo Hellman Award," said Dr. Baloul. "I am especially proud to be the first BU student to receive such a prestigious award. This truly demonstrates the caliber of research and mentorship that we receive here at BU."

Dr. Will added, "Having the Milo Hellman Award come to BU should demonstrate to all graduate students that the research they do can and should be significant and a real addition to the literature."

Dr. Baloul added, "I faced many obstacles and was challenged by many difficult decisions. Choosing to leave a prominent private practice was terrifying. However, it has proven to be one of my best decisions. My experience has been humbling, yet, rewarding. This confirms to me that I made the right decision and that pursuing a doctorate degree for a future career in academia is the correct path for me.” 

Dr. Baloul continued, “My achievement would not have been possible if it was not for all the support that I received. I extend my sincere thanks to the whole Department of Periodontology & Oral Biology and the Department of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics and, especially, to my mentor Dr. Kantarci, and Drs. Will, Van Dyke, Gerstenfeld, and Carvalho.”