Forty Years of Orthodontic Progress
In early October 1999, letters were sent to twenty-four heads of Orthodontic
Departments in U.S.A. and Canada. Accompanying these letters were seventeen
copies of articles from a total of 74 articles of the Schudy
Chronicles on the Internet. These seventeen articles discussed subjects
of
current interest - some first time discussions of
completely new and very important concepts, which most
Orthodontists do not seem to understand. In talking to a colleague recently,
who has a thorough knowledge of these concepts, he stated, "Ninety-five
percent
of all orthodontists do not understand how the jaws grow." What a
pity!! (This was spoken by a clinician who has lectured on all five
continents.)
In recent months, I received correspondence from a personal friend who is
the
head of an orthodontic department at a university. In this letter to me he
referred to a growth study which he had published, where he had based
certain
concepts on certain growth increments.
In my reply to him I said, "Joe (not his real name), I hate to tell you that
the growth increments you referred to are not the same increments I am
speaking
about. The growth increments you referred to are the effects of the
causative increments I have referred to in my writings." - Another example
of
poor understanding.
These concepts, pertaining to the vertical growth and function of the jaws
which affect the treatment of malocclusion, were discovered in 1960 and
published in 1964 and 1965 in the Angle Orthodontist. They were
declared a classic by the American Association of Orthodontics in 1991.
These
concepts were discussed in many lectures, in the sixties, in the U.S.A.,
Canada, Mexico and Europe.
While these concepts have been generally accepted and used by many clinical
orthodontists worldwide, yet there has been nothing published, that I have
seen, except the work of Isaacson and Pancherz and their coworkers. What is
needed is an expression of disapproval or approval of specific portions of
the
text, so we will be assured that the person understands what is being
discussed.
Benjamin Franklin, the great American statesman of the eighteenth century,
made
a similar observation in his era. He stated, "You will observe, with
concern,
how long a useful truth may be known and exist, before it is generally
received
and practiced."
However, I do not believe he had in mind FORTY YEARS; and I do not believe
he
had in mind a progressive and well established profession such as
ORTHODONTICS.
We have lost almost two generations of progress!!
To date (January, 2000), we have received six replies, which were polite and
noncommittal. Four of these colleagues were personal friends. The recipients
of
the communications seem to have been stricken by false pride and apparently
are
willing to be deprived of very important knowledge.
"A SAD COMMENTARY!!"
As stated before, if anyone can show by objective evidence that any of these
concepts and principles are incorrect, we will be forever grateful and will
gladly place the information in the Schudy Chronicles.
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