Dento-oro-facial growth, morphogenetic fields and biodynamics with Gunn Kvivik DO en Line Kvivik Cote DO

Aeroparc Gilze-Rijen Koffie/thee, lunch & syllabus Engels

Infant Feeding Methods – Occlusion – Swallowing – Functional Orthodontics

Gunn Kvivik and Line Kvivik Côte teach orofacial and cranial techniques inspired by Bernard Darraillans, including the morphogenetic fields of the face within a biodynamic approach. Their teaching also addresses infant feeding methods and breastfeeding difficulties. They cover functional orthodontics with key factors influencing occlusion, dentition, and craniofacial growth, including differences between infant and adult swallowing patterns.

Background

As identical twins, Gunn and Line share not only the same genetic heritage and childhood growing up by the fjords of Norway, but also same profession with background as physiotherapists. They graduated in osteopathy in 1997 from DOK (Deutsche Osteopathie Kolleg) in Germany and attended numerous postgraduate courses and conferences with B. Darraillans, P. Druelle, R. Molinari, JP. Barral, and N. Camirand, as well as with teachers within the Sutherland cranial tradition, including V. Frymann, H. Magoun jr, and F. Mitchell jr. They also assisted Frymann during her final conference in Chiemsee, Germany.

Their professional paths diverged when Line moved to the south of France in 1995. Gunn lived in the Alps and worked as a physiotherapist with a professional snowboard team before moving to Norway in 2000, establishing her osteopathic clinic in Kristiansand. Line pursued additional studies in muscular chains (G.D.S.) and mindfulness (MBCT) and worked for several years as an osteopath with the contemporary ballet Preljocaj during its international tours. She has run her osteopathic clinic in Le Revest-les-Eaux for 25 years, and since last year Gunn has worked there part-time as well.

Thesis and Research

Gunn and Line conducted research on infant feeding methods and were awarded the Sutherland Prize for their thesis, “Breastfeeding and its influence on the infant skull,” in 2003. Their research led them to work with infants and engage deeply with breastfeeding difficulties.

Over four years, they investigated how sucking–swallowing mechanism influences infant cranial development with their mentor B. Darraillans and Dr. Chancholle, who published extensively on physiology of breastfeeding. G. Denys-Struyf contributed with the function of the muscle chains during nursing. Breastfeeding requires complex coordination of the tongue, lips, facial muscles, and pharyngeal musculature. Unlike bottle-feeding, it relies on an intraoral vacuum that may stimulate optimal development of the palate, jaws, and cranial base. Research shows that breastfed infants present fewer occlusal problems, including a lower prevalence of overjet, compared with bottle-fed infants.

Their research reported a 30% greater increase in zygomatic bone growth in breastfed infants compared with bottle-fed infants after three months. Additionally, 70% of the facial sutures in the breastfed group showed significantly reduced restrictions, whereas the bottle-fed group did not demonstrate comparable findings. They have presented numerous conferences on their research and orofacial development as well as conducting workshops for osteopaths, dentists, and midwives. They have published several articles based on their research, including “Breastfeeding: Nature’s Tool to Unfold the Infant Cranium” (Sutherland Cranial College of Osteopathy Magazine, No. 37, Summer 2014).

Bernard Darraillans

Their mentor, had a profound influence on their practice. After Line moved to France, she became his assistant during conferences. Bernard had a partial vision loss and seemed to “see” with his heart and hands instead, having exceptional palpatory skills communicated with deep emotional imprints.

For fifteen years, Gunn and Line assisted him at conferences throughout Europe. Bernard continuously sought a deeper understanding of the human body linking osteopathy with neuroscience and quantum physics. He authored several books on occlusion and functional orthodontics showing how functional and emotional factors influence orofacial growth.

Back to Nature

Both Gunn and Line love spending time outdoors, connected to nature through rock climbing, ski touring, and kayaking. When Gunn became an advanced sea kayak coach, they decided to circumnavigate the Mediterranean islands including Corsica, Menorca, Mallorca, and Sardinia. Their next goal is Sicily in 2027. On their eco-friendly kayak expeditions, they strive to minimize their environmental footprint by producing minimal waste and collecting plastic in the ocean. Inspired by hunter-gatherer traditions of living and eating simply adapting to nature with metabolic flexibility. They are self-supported eating dried legumes, seeds and vegetables, as well as foraging for what they find in nature.

Gunn is also sought-after speaker on kayak events, sharing stories from their expeditions. They seek to inspire people spending more time outdoors, being present, connected with nature, and willing to step beyond their comfort zones. Modern lifestyle changes, including passive and stressful jobs, reduced outdoor activity, continuous eating of high-sugar processed foods, distance us from conditions that support optimal health. Gunn and Line believe our bodies are capable of far more than we imagine when we live in closer harmony with the environmental conditions under which human development evolved.

As identical twins, Gunn and Line share not only the same genes and childhood growing up by the fjords of Norway, but also an identical professional background as physiotherapists. They graduated in osteopathy in 97 from DOK (Deutsche Osteopathie Kolleg), Germany and attended numerous postgraduate courses and conferences with Darraillans, Druelle, Molinari, Barral, and Camirand, as well as with Magoun, Mitchell, and Frymann, all students of Sutherland. They also assisted Frymann during her final conference visit to Chiemsee, Germany.

Their paths diverged when Line moved to the south of France in 95. Gunn lived in the Alps and worked as a physiotherapist for the World Professional Snowboard Team before moving to Norway in 2000, and established her clinic in Kristiansand. Line pursued additional studies in muscular chains (G.D.S.) and mindfulness (MBCT), and worked for several years as an osteopath with the contemporary ballet Preljocaj on world tours. She runs her osteopathic clinic in Le Revest-les-Eaux. Their wish to be able to work together once was realized as Gunn started working partime in Lines clinic.

Thesis and Research

For four years, Gunn and Line conducted research on infant feeding methods. In 2003, they were awarded the Sutherland Prize for their thesis, “Breastfeeding and its influence on the infant skull.” Their research led them to treat many infants and to engage deeply with a wide range of breastfeeding difficulties.

Breastfeeding, the natural method of infant feeding, reached historically low rates in the Western world during the 1970s following aggressive marketing by formula companies. Research indicates that breastfed infants present fewer occlusal problems, including a significantly lower prevalence of overjet compared with bottle-fed infants. Gunn and Line investigated how the sucking–swallowing mechanism affects infant cranial development in collaboration with Dr. Chancholle, who has published extensively on the physiology of breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding requires complex coordination of the tongue, lips, facial muscles, and pharyngeal musculature. Unlike bottle-feeding, it relies on an intraoral vacuum that stimulates optimal development of the palate, jaws, and cranial base. Their research demonstrated a 30% greater increase in zygomatic bone growth in breastfed infants compared with bottle-fed infants after three months. Additionally, 70% of the facial sutures in the breastfed group showed significantly fewer restrictions, whereas the bottle-fed group did not demonstrate comparable differences.

Bernard Darraillans

Their mentor, Bernard Darraillans, had a profound influence on their practice. When Line moved to France, she became Bernard’s assistant during conferences, as he was partially blind. He seemed to “see” with his heart and hands instead, developing an exceptional palpatory skill that communicated with the deep emotional imprints held within patients’ tissues.

For fifteen years, Gunn and Line assisted him at numerous conferences throughout Europe. Throughout his life, Bernard continuously sought a deeper understanding linking neuroscience and quantum physics with osteopathy. He authored several books on occlusion and functional orthodontics, which helped them better understand how functional and emotional factors influence orofacial growth.

Back to Nature

Gunn and Line aim to inspire people to spend more time outdoors, fully present and connected to nature, living in closer harmony with how humans are intended to live. They believe that modern lifestyle changes increasingly move humans away from the conditions under which optimal craniofacial development evolved, including increased stress, reduced outdoor physical activity, lower intake of solid foods, and altered dietary patterns.

Both Gunn and Line love spending time in the mountains, rock climbing and ski touring. When Gunn became an advanced sea kayak coach, they decided to undertake expeditions around major Mediterranean islands such as Corsica and Sardinia. Their next goal is Sicily with the ambition of becoming the first women to complete the 3 island. During these self-supported expeditions, they minimize their environmental footprint, inspired by hunter-gatherer culture and a philosophy of living and eating simply.

Gunn Kvivik and Line Kvivik Côte, osteopaths D.O.