Scholars

overview

My research activities at the College of Dentistry (COD) have a focus on (1) the development of translational and clinical research in dentistry and (2) research on the development and biomechanics of mineralized tissues from a translational and organismal perspective. Research in my laboratory includes studies of phenotypic assessment of skeletal tissues, with an emphasis on material properties, gross and micro structure, biomechanics, and temporal and evolutionary adaptations. Methods that we use include techniques for determining 3D material properties (ultrasound, nanoindentation), 2D and 3D bone histomorphometry, 3D scanning technologies (cone beam CT, micro CT), and various biomechanical modeling techniques, such as finite element analysis. Recent projects have included studies of cranial bone adaptation during wound healing and distraction osteogenesis, and studies of phenotypic adaptations in mouse genetic models related to alterations of pathways associated with Wnt/?-catenin signaling in osteoblasts (with J. Feng) and osteoclasts (with Y. Wan).

Mentoring Experience: 4 Postdocs; 18 PhD; 21 MS; 22 Undergrad DDS Research; 8 Undergrad BS Research; 53 Grad Advisor (as Graduate Program Director); 2 KL2 scholars

education and training

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor - (Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States), Postdoctoral Training
Ph.D. in Anatomy, University of Chicago - (Chicago, Illinois, United States) 1980
B.A. in Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania - (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States) 1975

selected publications

Academic Articles124

Ledogar, J. A., Senck, S., Villmoare, B. A., Smith, A. L., Weber, G. W., Richmond, B. G., ... Strait, D. S. (2022). Mechanical compensation in the evolution of the early hominin feeding apparatus.. 289(1976), 20220711.
Panagiotopoulou, O., Iriarte-Diaz, J., Mehari Abraha, H., Taylor, A. B., Wilshin, S., Dechow, P. C., & Ross, C. F. (2020). Biomechanics of the mandible of Macaca mulatta during the power stroke of mastication: Loading, deformation, and strain regimes and the impact of food type.. Journal of Human Evolution. 147, 102865-102865.
Wang, Q., Zhang, Q., Han, T., Sun, Z., Dechow, P. C., Zhu, H., & Zhang, Q. (2019). Masticatory properties in pre-modern Holocene populations from Northern China.. HOMO: journal of comparative human biology. 70(1), 15-30.
Zhang, Q., Zhang, Q., Yang, S., Dechow, P. C., Zhu, H., Yeh, H., & Wang, Q. (2019). Divided zygoma in Holocene human populations from Northern China.. American Journal of Human Biology. 31(6), e23314.
Ammoury, M. J., Mustapha, S., Dechow, P. C., & Ghafari, J. G. (2019). Two distalization methods compared in a novel patient-specific finite element analysis.. American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. 156(3), 326-336.

Chapters4

Dechow, P. C. (2017). Changes in Mandibular Cortical Bone Density and Elastic Properties during Growth. Building Bones: Bone Formation and Development in Anthropology. 128-147. Cambridge University Press (CUP).
Dechow, P. C., Chung, D. H., & Bolouri, M. (2008). Relationship Between Three-Dimensional Microstructure and Elastic Properties of Cortical Bone in the Human Mandible and Femur. Primate Craniofacial Function and Biology. 265-292. Springer Nature.
Wang, Q., Dechow, P. C., Wright, B. W., Ross, C. F., Strait, D. S., Richmond, B. G., Spencer, M. A., & Byron, C. D. (2008). Surface Strain on Bone and Sutures in a Monkey Facial Skeleton: An In Vitro Approach and its Relevance to Finite Element Analysis. Primate Craniofacial Function and Biology. 149-172. Springer Nature.
Dechow, P. C., & Wang, Q. (2006). Strain Gages. Encyclopedia of Medical Devices and Instrumentation. Wiley.

Conference Papers18

Guerrero, K., Dechow, P. C., McGee-Lawrence, M., Yu, K., & McIntosh, L. P. (2019). Osteocyte morphology in the human craniofacial skeleton. The FASEB Journal. 33,
Ross, C. F., Iriarte-Diaz, J., Taylor, A. B., Dechow, P. C., Wilshin, S., Abraha, H. M., & Panagiotopoulou, O. (2019). Strain regimes in the ramus of Macaca mulatta estimated using finite element modeling. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 168, 209-209.
Panagiotopoulou, O., Iriarte-Diaz, J., Abraha, H. M., Taylor, A. B., Wilshin, S., Dechow, P. C., & Ross, C. F. (2018). Determinants of feeding behavior and food material properties on the deformations of the macaque mandible. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 165, 198-198.
Wang, Q., Zhang, Q., Han, T., Sun, Z., Kesterke, M. J., Zhu, H., Dechow, P. C., & Zhang, Q. (2018). The Vulnerability of the Temporomandibular Joint in Recent Northern China Populations. The FASEB Journal. 32(1), 514.3-514.3.
Dechow, P. C. (2018). Understanding human craniofacial bone properties and biomechanics - a perspective on macaques, baboons, and beyond. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 165, 63-63.