Dr. Piranit Nik Kantaputra, a professor of medical genetics, is the director of the Center of Excellence in Medical Genetics Research, Chiang Mai University and a faculty member of the Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

     He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Chiang Mai University in 1986 and his Certificate and Master of Science degree in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Minnesota, USA in 1990.

     He completed fellowship training in Clinical Dysmorphology with Prof. Robert J. Gorlin at the University of Minnesota in 1990-1991. His main research interest is to find the causes of rare, interesting and unusual craniofacial malformation syndromes, especially when teeth are involved. Recently, his research team identified the genes responsible for the smallest and largest teeth in the world.

     Dr. Kantaputra has identified more than 13 new genetic syndromes, one of which bears his name, Mesomelic Dyplasia, Kantaputra Type. Dr. Kantaputra has published more than 115 international papers and 4 book chapters.

     Recently, Dr. Kantaputra's group has identified 4 genes associated with pustular skin lesions and 8 genes associated with supernumerary teeth and mesiodens formation and oral exostoses. Dr. Kantaputra is on the editorial board of the American Journal of Medical Genetics, the Journal of Human Genetics, and the International Journal of Dentistry.