APO 9th Biennial Regional Conference (Day 2)

A bright and sunny Day 2 of the APO Regional Congress began with participants eager to listen and learn again from the excellent speaker from India, Dr. Chetan Jayade. He started the day with a lecture on the shifting paradigms in the treatment of Class II malocclusions in adolescents and young adults.

Whereas the prevalent practice for management of this malocclusion in young and growing patients involves 2 phases, the first during the mixed dentition stage, and second, during the permanent dentition stage, one of the bigger problem in this treatment approach is patient compliance.

Dr. Jayade expounded on the 1-phase treatment, which is now the standard mode of treatment for Class II malocclusion cases. This treatment approach has been proven to have greater efficiency, backed by scientific evidence through research and studies done by universities in the US. This management avoids lengthy and repetitive treatment which can lead to patient burn-out.

The combination of a single-phase treatment and the use of fixed functional appliance adds to its advantage. The lesser the patient spends time using an appliance, the higher the rate of compliance, resulting in a more predictable outcome of treatment.

Forsus FRD (Fatigue Resistant Device), an Orthodontic product of 3M Unitek company was introduced. This is an example of a fixed functional appliance, used in combination with fixed Orthodontic appliance, designed to correct Class II malocclusion cases with mandibular deficiency, by stimulating mandibular growth with the constant forward force exerted by the appliance. The resulting forward positioning of the mandible results in a decreased amount of overjet. He presented clinical management of minimizing the proclination of lower anterior teeth as an effect of moving the mandible forward.

He emphasized that as in any use of Orthodontic device, successful outcome results not only from correct appliance selection and biomechanics used, but also applying these treatment modalities on the right cases/patients.

The highly anticipated hands-on workshop on Forsus FRD in the afternoon saw a gathering of close to a hundred participants. They worked on typodont casts bonded with brackets with Forsus FRD kit provided by the seminar’s major sponsor, 3M. Dr. Jayade demonstrated the proper way to engage the fixed appliance Class II corrector, its activation and deactivation. He taught the workshop participants techniques to improve the stability of the appliance once attached to the brackets and making it as comfortable to the patient as possible.

The Regional Congress provided the attendees 2 days of excellent lecture from an excellent speaker, on a theme that is very familiar to Orthodontists practicing in the Philippines. This was capped by the hands-on workshop on an appliance that will surely enhance the practice of Orthodontists in the management of Class II cases.