Rate My Professor Li (Peter) Mei

Professor Li (Peter) Mei serves as Professor and Associate Dean (China) in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago, affiliated with the Discipline of Orthodontics in the Department of Oral Sciences. He is also a Clinical Supervisor, teaching and supervising postgraduate and undergraduate dental students. Holding qualifications of BDS, MDS, DDS, and PhD, he completed postgraduate training at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the West China School of Stomatology at Sichuan University. Following four years of specialist orthodontic practice in the Netherlands, he relocated to Dunedin, New Zealand, in 2012, bringing over 20 years of international experience in orthodontic care. Professor Mei is an active member of professional organizations including the New Zealand Association of Orthodontists, New Zealand Dental Association, Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons Board of Studies Orthodontics, European Orthodontic Society, American Association of Orthodontists, and World Federation of Orthodontists.

His research specializations include orthodontics, microbiology, biomaterials, and oral cancers. He has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals, with 96 publications listed on ResearchGate and over 5,200 citations on Google Scholar. Notable publications encompass 'Orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances and biofilm formation—a potential public health threat?' (co-authored with Y. Ren et al.), 'Effectiveness, efficiency and adverse effects of using direct or indirect bonding technique in orthodontic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis' (2019), 'Canine edge width and height affect dental esthetics in maxillary canine substitution treatment' (2019), 'Gli2 and Gli3 synergistically mediate HH-TGF-β crosstalk in mesenchymal progenitor cells to regulate osteogenic differentiation' (2026), and 'The pistol spring for correcting ectopic permanent molar' (2025). Professor Mei serves as an examiner for multiple Australian and European universities and as Associate Editor for Translational Dental Research. He has received prestigious awards and honours from the European Orthodontic Society and the International Association of Dental Research, contributing significantly to advancements in orthodontic techniques, clear aligners, and oral health diagnostics.