Article
Stability, Retention and Relapse in Orthodontics.
Considering that relapse and retention affects every single orthodontic patient, it is a topic that is often overlooked in Orthodontics. I was therefore delighted to see that an up-to-date textbook has been written that is dedicated to this vital subject. This textbook, edited by two respected and experienced professors from Switzerland, brings together 13 chapters with contributions from 29 additional authors with expertise in the field.
The textbook is essentially divided into three sections. The first section, which is particularly enjoyable, focuses on orthodontic retention, covering the historical background to retainers, the biological basis for orthodontic relapses and a review of the clinical evidence supporting the use of different approaches to retention.
The second section focuses on ‘Dentofacial treatment stability and relapse’, with the emphasis of maintaining changes achieved after treating patients with skeletal discrepancies. While all the chapters in this section are of a high standard, some readers may prefer a more consistent approach. Some authors focused on the relapse and retention, while others, for example Chapter 7 about the ‘Stability and relapse of Class III treatment’, included significant information on diagnosis and treatment as well.
The final section is devoted to retention protocols and materials, with chapters on acrylic removable retainers and three different chapters on fixed retention. The chapters on fixed retainers provide a strong material and theoretical background, but I wonder whether the sections on biomechanical aspects of fixed retainers in chapter 11, and the section on mechanical and physical properties of wires in chapter 12, could have been combined.
The strength of a textbook like this, involving lots of different authors, is that it taps into expertise from all over the world. However, it does occasionally lead to areas of repetition. For example, chapters 3 and 4, whilst both excellent, duplicate some of the same information on the evidence-base supporting orthodontic retention. This is partly a reflection of the paucity of high-quality evidence on this topic, meaning that authors from different chapters often find themselves writing about the same studies. However, this is a minor criticism, as this book provides useful and relevant information, accompanied by numerous clinical illustrations and backed up with appropriate references.
Overall, this is a well-illustrated book, which provides excellent information on a topic that is relevant to every orthodontic clinician. The editors and authors should be congratulated on producing a high quality and contemporary textbook. I would recommend this to any clinician working in orthodontics who wants to gain a more detailed understanding of stability, retention and relapse.