The US Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued OrthoAccel Technologies Inc, Houston, a patent (No. 8,500,446, “Vibrating Orthodontic Remodeling Device”) for its hands-free AcceleDent, an FDA-cleared, Class II medical device. The prescription-only medical device, designed for faster orthodontic treatment with only 20 minutes of daily use, was introduced to the US market in 2012.
AcceleDent’s technology was developed in part by Jeremy Mao, DDS, PhD, professor of orthodontics and Zegarelli Endowed Chair at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York. Mao’s work in the early 2000s, which was initially conducted while he was a faculty member at the University of Illinois, Chicago, was paramount in establishing the therapeutic effect of pulsatile forces in accelerating bone modeling and remodeling in the orofacial region.
The product was first introduced to the global orthodontic market in 2009. The first US patient to complete orthodontic treatment using AcceleDent was Frederick Churbuck, who completed a projected 18-month orthodontic treatment in 9 months.
For more information about this and other orthodontic companies, visit our Market Guide.
