Mission & Overview:

Mission:

The mission of the center is to improve clinical dentistry with state-of-the-art engineering tools. The area of research include:

• Orthodontic appliance design and evaluation
• Orthodontic tooth displacement
• Dental implant

Overview:

The goals are to improve orthodontic treatment using an evidence-based approach and to develop optimal orthodontic appliances for specific clinical cases.  The fundamental need is the ability to quantify treatment strategies and clinical outcomes so that the two can be linked directly.  These will help move dental practice from experience- to evidence-based.  The research will focus on:

• creating digital dental models from traditional clinical assessment tools, such as dental impressions and CT images, which can be used for various dental disciplines
• quantification of treatment strategies such as three dimensional (3D) orthodontic force system
• development of simulation tools to investigate the dentoalveolar mechanical environment that is associated with various treatment strategies such as orthodontic treatment or dental implants
• development of simulation tools to quantify required force systems for desired tooth movement
• quantification of treatment outcomes such as 3D tooth displacements, root resorption, and esthetic effects
• development of case specific dental appliances to optimize treatment 
• development of visual tools for treatment planning, communication with patients, and outcome assessment using advanced engineering tools such as visual reality technology