Raquel Capote, DMD, MSD, MPH
Dr. Capote is a board-certified orthodontist with advanced, subspeciality training in craniofacial and special needs orthodontics. She joins our surgical faculty in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery as Assistant Professor following 12 years of post-residency practice in clinical orthodontics, including completion of a fellowship at Seattle Children’s Hospital in Seattle, WA.
Dr. Capote has extensive experience managing the most challenging and complex orthodontic needs from infancy through adulthood. Her clinical focus includes the specialized management of patients with congenital and acquired craniofacial conditions such as cleft lip and palate, Robin sequence, craniofacial microsomia, Treacher Collins syndrome, craniosynostosis as well as those acquired in patients who have undergone facial trauma or head and neck oncological treatment. She thrives working in interdisciplinary teams and values patients and families as an integral part of the care team.
In addition to being a practicing clinician, Dr. Capote was a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Washington School of Dentistry and associate faculty member at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Harborview Medical Center’s Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center in Seattle, WA.
Research
Dr. Capote’s research interests include upper airway obstruction, craniofacial anomalies, maxillofacial trauma, and 3D data integration and digital workflow for design optimization and customized orofacial device fabrication. Additionally, Dr. Capote maintains a strong interest in improving access to care for patients with craniofacial conditions.
Included among her recent publications in peer-reviewed journals is "Craniofacial growth and development: A primer for the facial trauma surgeon," Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics of North America. Additional publications include: "The effect of digital diagnostic setups on orthodontic treatment planning" and "Mouthguards during orthodontic treatment: Perspectives of orthodontists and a survey of orthodontic patients playing school-sponsored basketball and football," both in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.
Memberships, Awards and Honors
Dr. Capote is one of only a few orthodontists in the United States to have completed a fellowship in craniofacial orthodontics. She is also a member of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) National Dental Honor Society, one of the highest honors attainable within the dental profession.
She received the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation Orthodontic Faculty Development Fellowship Award and was appointed by Institute of Translational Health Sciences as a recipient of a five-year National Institute of Health K award (career development in Clinical and Translational Science).
Dr. Capote is a member of the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association, American Association of Orthodontics, and American Board of Orthodontics. She is also a member of the American Dental Association and the Tennessee Dental Association.
Education
Dr. Capote graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She received a merit scholarship to attend the University of Connecticut, School of Dental Medicine, in Farmington, CT, where she earned a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree and graduated with the highest distinction. She completed a residency in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics and earned a Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) degree and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in epidemiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She subsequently completed a fellowship in craniofacial and special needs orthodontics at Seattle Children’s Hospital in Seattle, WA.
Contact
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
D-4207 Medical Center North
1161 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN
Phone: (615) 343-9403
Patients
Vanderbilt Oral Health
2111 Belcourt Avenue, Suite 201
Nashville, TN
Fax: (615) 343-9397
Appointments: (615) 322-2377