| The orthodontic profession has a proud history of progressive thinking and innovative ideas. Over the last few years several advancements have come to the forefront of our field. Self-ligating brackets, soft-tissue lasers, indirect bonding, and temporary anchorage devices, to name a few, have been studied and lectured on around the world. These topics often require current practicing orthodontists to take hands-on courses, attend weekend lectures, and spend large amounts of money just to try a new technique. Residents in the sixty-two orthodontic programs across the nation often have the unique ability to learn about these evolving areas in a controlled environment from full-time and part-time faculty. Vendors often give residents free materials or, in some instances, cover the cost of tuition to the expensive courses. The information gathered and the techniques learned frequently are carried with the graduating students into private practice.;Methods. A survey will be distributed to all of the orthodontic residents in the United States. The survey will be anonymous. The questions will pertain mainly to plastic orthodontic aligners, soft-tissue lasers, mini-implants, indirect bonding, and self-ligating brackets. Each topic will address the usage in the program, specifically, if the student has used the particular technique and if they plan to continue using the system in private practice. The information will be compiled and statistically analyzed.;Results. Orthodontic residency programs provide students with information on new technologies/techniques. Residents plan on using many of the new technologies/techniques in their private practices once they graduate. Most residents feel that their education, with regard to new methods and tools, could be improved by adding more time. This time increase can be either in general or in the form of more clinic/lecture time, and increasing the number of faculty or guest lecturers. Most residents feel their programs do a good job at preparing them for the future of orthodontics.;Specific Aims. To survey residents in orthodontic programs in the United States on their usage of the newest innovations during their residencies. To determine if, from a residents perspective, the orthodontic programs in the United States are teaching new concepts. |
