Rate My Professor Joseph Antoun

Dr. Joseph Antoun serves as Senior Lecturer and Orthodontist in the Department of Oral Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago. He earned his Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) in 2006 and Doctorate in Clinical Dentistry (Orthodontics) (DClinDent Ortho) in 2013, both from the University of Otago. Antoun divides his time between academic responsibilities in Dunedin and private orthodontic practice in Christchurch, where he treats a wide range of malocclusions, with a particular interest in miniscrews and miniplates for severe cases. He is registered with the Dental Council of New Zealand and holds memberships in the New Zealand Dental Association, New Zealand Association of Orthodontists (NZAO), European Orthodontic Society, and Genetics Otago. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the World Federation of Orthodontists.

Antoun's research specializations encompass craniofacial biology and clinical genetics, craniofacial growth and development, quality of life assessment, emerging digital technologies in clinical orthodontics and craniofacial research, clinical and psychological aspects of long face morphology, aetiology of excessive vertical facial growth, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with long face morphology and dentofacial anomalies such as congenitally missing teeth. His studies are conducted in collaboration with the Merriman Lab in the Department of Biochemistry. He has supervised multiple doctoral theses on topics including orthodontic pain, craniofacial asymmetry models, and three-dimensional tooth movement. Antoun received the Emerging Researcher First Grant from the Health Research Council in 2013. He contributes to teaching undergraduate dental students and postgraduate orthodontic trainees, utilizing interactive models to elucidate complex concepts, and serves on the NZAO Continued Professional Development and Recertification committee. Key publications include 'Evidence of secular trends in a collection of historical craniofacial growth studies' (European Journal of Orthodontics, 2015), 'The effect of incremental lower lip advancement on oral pressure and EMG activity of the lower lip' (European Journal of Orthodontics, 2014), 'Biomechanical properties of the lips in a pre-orthodontic sample of adolescents and young adults' (2021), 'Factors associated with orthodontic pain' (2021), 'Common variants of EDA are associated with non-syndromic hypodontia' (2020), 'Evaluation of primary surgical outcomes in New Zealand patients with unilateral clefts of the lip and palate' (Australian Orthodontic Journal, 2011), and 'Neck and shoulder muscle activity of orthodontists in natural environments' (Journal of Electromyography & Kinesiology, 2013). His 40 publications have accumulated 1,372 citations.