With patient demand steadily trending towards faster orthodontic treatment, OrthoAccel® Technologies Inc, Houston, launched its Investigator Initiated Research Program to generate more evidence-based research about accelerated orthodontics. Subsequently, the company has awarded initial grants to four academic research institutions to further explore the area of more efficient orthodontic treatments.
“We originally went to market with AcceleDent [the only FDA-cleared, Class II medical device that has been proven to accelerate orthodontic treatment up to 50%] because we knew consumers wanted faster orthodontic treatments,” said Mike Lowe, president and CEO of OrthoAccel. “With that trend continuing, OrthoAccel’s Investigator Initiated Research Program will support academic researchers as they discover new uses for AcceleDent while also expanding clinical knowledge about accelerated orthodontics through applied biomedical research.”
The inaugural grants for the Investigator Initiated Research program were awarded to Marquette University, Milwaukee, which will study the effect of mechanical vibration on orthodontic tooth movement ex vivo. The University of Alabama at Birmingham will investigate time usage during orthodontic treatment. The University of Colorado, Boulder, will study vibratory stimulation therapy for pain reduction after orthodontic archwire insertion, and the University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conn, will research biomarkers of orthodontic tooth movement with fixed appliances and vibration appliance therapy—a randomized clinical trial.
“We’re very impressed with the initial round of research proposals and look forward to making this an annual program,” said Zaffer Syed, OrthoAccel’s director of clinical and regulatory affairs. “Just as AcceleDent is a novel orthodontic innovation that’s now offered in over 1,000 locations in the United States and Canada, OrthoAccel’s Investigator Initiated Research Program strives to foster even more innovation and drive enhanced improvements to orthodontic treatment and overall oral care.
