In this episode of the European Orthodontic Podcast, host Finn Geoghegan, EOS 2026 President, welcomes Professor Martyn Cobourne, Professor of Orthodontics at King’s College London (UK), and Professor David Rice, Professor and Head of Orthodontics at the University of Helsinki (Finland), to discuss the intersection of developmental biology and orthodontics.
From their early clinical training in the UK to leading internationally recognised laboratories, both guests share insights from careers that bridge basic science and clinical orthodontics. Their perspectives illustrate how craniofacial biology underpins not just research, but also everyday patient care.
Key topics include:
The role of developmental biology in orthodontics — why craniofacial development matters clinically and how to communicate balanced, evidence-based views
Pathways from clinic to lab and back — mentors, world-leading lab experiences, and how translational research/deep phenotyping link genetics with malocclusion and anomalies
Current research directions and implications for targeted care
Technologies reshaping the field — next-generation sequencing, digital tools, and AI accelerating discovery and informing everyday orthodontic practice
Professors Cobourne and Rice also discuss the excitement of discovery in basic science, the responsibility to link biology with clinical reality, and the opportunities for the next generation of orthodontists to work across disciplines.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation on how developmental biology continues to shape orthodontics — from lab bench discoveries to the clinic.
This podcast is sponsored by DW Lingual Systems – Improving Orthodontics. All views expressed on this podcast are solely those of the host and guest speakers and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the European Orthodontic Society; sponsors have no input into the selection of speakers and topics.
