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ePaper created 2017-03-06, 16:37:35 | version 1.38.0
science & practice SHOW PREVIEW on this treatment modality. As aligner therapy has developed and been more widely adopted, however, in- creasing research into its effective- ness and patient satisfaction rates has been conducted. For example, a 2015 study published in the BMC Oral Health journal compared oral health status and satisfaction levels among patients who had received fi xed appliances and those treated with the Invisalign system. It found that Invisalign patients were more satisfi ed overall and enjoyed greater periodontal health, with slightly lower levels of dental plaque. Accord- ing to another study, conducted in 2013 and published in The Angle Or- thodontist journal, compared with those treated with conventional edge- wise brackets, patients who had re- ceived aligner therapy had signifi - cantly fewer dental visits, shorter treatment duration, fewer emergency visits and less overall chair time. Aligner therapy is one of the fast- est-growing areas in orthodontics, driven signifi cantly by patients who regard it as a more comfortable, con- venient and discreet alternative to fi xed appliances. Given that market research fi rm Technavio has pro- jected this market to grow at a com- pound annual rate of 12.68 per cent globally from 2016 to 2020, the need for organisational bodies to increase education and awareness of aligner therapy is essential. The German As- sociation for Aligner Orthodontics was founded in 2007 and the Japan Academy of Aligner Orthodontics in 2012, with both organisations aiming to foster a space for increasing aware- ness of the applications and advan- tages of aligner therapy. More recently, the EAS was es- tablished in 2013, with Dr Graham Gardner serving as its founding and current president. In order to pro- mote education on the latest technol- ogies used by clear aligners, the EAS will be hosting its fi rst AlignerLab workshop on 18 February 2017 in Vienna in Austria. It follows on from the successful fi rst EAS congress in February 2016 and will provide clini- cians with an opportunity to engage in a variety of hands-on sessions cov- ering 3-D intra-oral scanning, 3-D printing, virtual treatment planning techniques and tooth movement ac- celeration techniques. Gardner believes the AlignerLab will highlight how far aligner therapy has come in such a short time. “With the explosion in the 3-D treatment planning and manufacturing pro- cesses now available, we at the EAS believe that not only do we need to update our knowledge on the various aligner systems available, we also need to understand the associated hardware—scanners, computers, soft- ware, 3-D printing—that is necessary to optimise the aligner system and improve treatment results,” he told Dental Tribune. Gardner envisions the event ideally becoming a regular occurrence to allow dental profes- sionals to trial and compare new sys- tems and developments in aligner technology. (cid:26) (Article by Brendan Day, DTI) AD 3D agility_ The One to Shape your Success F r e e W o r k s h o p s o n B o o t h ! Hall 4.2 Booth J29-G28 IDS Cologne 2017 FKG Dentaire SA 15 www.fkg.ch