Etiology of Malocclusion: Does evidence or opinion exist in favour of an environmental cause?

Recently the UK’s General Dental Council (GDC) chose to strike Dr Mike Mew from the dental register. Why was this? A tribunal spanning nine weeks of hearings over a two- and half-year period, the longest and most expensive tribunal in British dental history, failed to find any evidence of dishonesty or significant harm to patients. Instead, the GDC made a finding of fact that there is neither a) any adequate objective evidence nor b) is there a significant body of opinion to support the idea that environmental factors play a significant role in the etiology (or cause) of malocclusion.

Let’s address these both:

Evidence and The Jaw Epidemic

In a parody of ‘Don’t Look Up’, the 2021 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the GDC was presented with plenty of evidence to show that environmental factors play a significant role in the etiology of malocclusion. This included a paper ‘The Jaw Epidemic: Recognition, Origins, Cures, and Prevention’ by a group of Stanford University professors which cited a number of other papers and opinion leaders.

You would have thought that, following Covid, the authorities would take warnings of a significant new epidemic from a group of eminent professors seriously. Not at all. The GDC ignored it completely: “no ‘adequate objective evidence’; nothing to see here”, they maintained.

Question: What is being done to address the Jaw Epidemic and the very many serious related issues that are being experienced by a large and growing percentage of the population?

GDC’s Answer: Don’t Look Up - no “adequate objective evidence”, nothing to see here!

If you don’t agree with us, you don’t exist

Nevertheless, the law covering non-mainstream treatment approaches is covered by the Bolam/Bolitho Test, which dictates that if a treatment approach is supported by a responsible body of opinion, then treatment decisions consistent with this body would not count as malpractice. Obviously, the Stanford University professors, the others that they cite in their paper and the many other professionals worldwide practicing Orthotropics, myotherapy or any other treatments that address environmental factors would count as a very large body of opinion, but unfortunately in the eyes of the GDC they simply do not exist.

The Loch Ness Monster	The Tooth Fairy	Example group of dental professionals that support the idea that environmental factors play a significant role in the etiology of malocclusion

Question: What do the Loch Ness Monster, the Tooth Fairy and dental professionals that support the idea that environmental factors play a significant role in the etiology of malocclusion, all have in common?

GDC’s Answer: None of them exist!

Summit on the Etiology of Malocclusion

We are looking to start a series of monthly summits on key topics of importance. Each one will have a lineup of eminent speakers, each of whom will be given 30 minutes to present their ideas. There will then be panel discussion of key aspects, followed by a Q&A at the end where an exclusive number of paying attendees (initially limited to 100) will be able to put questions to the panel/speakers.

The first of these summits will be in January 2025 and will focus on the Etiology of Malocclusion – asking whether the cause is genetic or environmental or both.

Given the GDC recent finding of fact in the hearing against Dr Mike Mew, this will be a fascinating event. None of the very eminent global experts that will be speaking exist (according to the GDC), none of the evidence that they will be presenting exists either (again according to the GDC) and none of the attendees, most of whom will be professionals who support the environmental thesis, exist either (yet again according to the GDC).

Our summit will not only focus on a forthright discussion on the plentiful objective evidence, but will also feature speakers that are leaders within the broad faction that is a growing body of opinion in this arena (let me assure you that both they and the evidence that they will be presenting, do indeed exist – despite all assurances to the contrary).

There will then be subsequent summits each month (each of which will be online only), but in September we will be holding a hybrid event - with an in-person event in London on 6th September as well as an online audience. We will also be seeking sponsors for each of our summits.

Details will be available soon with the exact date of the January summit and how to register.