Decortication Technique Gets Symposium Spot at AADR/IADR

The AADR/IADR has chosen a BUSDM research area, "Rapid Orthodontics Following Selective Alveolar Decortication," as one of 15 symposia to be presented at its 2007 annual meeting in New Orleans. Dr. Thomas Van Dyke, director of the school’s Clinical Research Center, was influential in the AADR/IADR’s selection of decortication as a symposium topic.

"This symposium will focus on the hard data and science of decortication, with an emphasis on the translational nature of the BU research," says Dr. Donald Ferguson, chair of the school’s Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics and a leading researcher in alveolar decortication.

Alveolar decortication is an outpatient surgical procedure where the jaw bone is exposed and lightly cut to initiate a wound-healing response. This response releases calcium, which makes the bone less dense and more responsive to orthodontic treatment. Patients who undergo the treatment see results up to four times faster than with traditional orthodontic therapy. Moreover, their teeth are less likely to revert to their former position, as sometimes occurs with traditional orthodontics. The procedure, which is performed by a periodontist or oral surgeon, can also help patients who are not candidates for traditional orthodontics.

Ferguson notes that he, Roberto Carvalho, research associate at MED, and Alpdogan Kantarci, assistant professor of oral biology and periodontology, have provided direction and guidance in the decortication technique to approximately 30 BU community members past and present, including visiting faculty, students, and residents. Ferguson and Kantarci will speak at the symposium.