Comment

Following a complaint by a registered specialist orthodontist, the Advertising Standards Agency investigated claims on a website run by GDC registrants, about the supposed ‘benefits’ of Damon braces.

The ASA considered not only all the available scientific evidence, but also a direct response to the accusations by Ormco. The Agency finally ruled that there was failure to demonstrate that Damon was either faster or less painful than conventional fixed appliances. The claims were therefore misleading, thus breached their code of practice. They ruled that the advertisement must not therefore appear again, in its current form.

As a result of this ruling, many dental and orthodontic website designers would be well advised to take a long hard look at their content, and the many promises they are currently making to the public. Thank goodness that the ASA are at least doing their bit to ‘protect the public’.

Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of clinical orthodontics is appropriate management of the transverse dimension. The various alternatives are discussed in the current issue in an article by Catherine Brierley, along with a number of clinical cases to illustrate both their advantages and disadvantages.