Korean "Non-Extraction Orthodontics" Featured as Cover Article in Two Major US Journals

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Professor Yoon-A Guk Team
3D Printing Integrated Digital Orthodontics
Non-Extraction Orthodontic Method (MCPP) for Adolescents
Enhanced Precision and Efficiency of Customized Devices

Research achievements in non-extraction orthodontics in Korea have been selected as cover articles in two major American journals. Cover of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, December 2021 issue (left), and cover of the American Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, December 2021 issue.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] South Korea's 'non-extraction orthodontic' treatment technology has been simultaneously featured as the cover paper in the two major journals of the American orthodontic community, the 'American Journal of Orthodontics' and the 'American Journal of Clinical Orthodontics.'

According to the American Journal of Clinical Orthodontics on the 14th, Professor Yoon-Ah Kook (first author and corresponding author) of the Dental Hospital at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University, along with Professor Nam-Ki Lee of the Dental Department at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, devised a method to produce an improved version of the palatal device MCPP (Modified C-palatal plate) used for non-extraction orthodontic treatment through 3D digital technology.

According to the paper, the research team reproduces the patient's oral cavity using digital oral scanning, then creates a 3D digital model based on this, and manufactures the orthodontic device tailored to each patient's oral cavity by outputting it with a 3D printer using CAD/CAM software. Since it is custom-made according to the individual tooth shape and dental arch form, precision is further enhanced, maximizing the efficiency of orthodontic treatment.

Professor Guk Yoon-ah, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Dental Hospital.

Along with this, the digital orthodontic device considering individual characteristics allows patients to manage oral hygiene more easily, thereby reducing the incidence of inflammation. Professor Yoon-Ah Kook stated, “It is meaningful to have developed a new technology that can capture not only the efficiency of treatment but also patient satisfaction through personalized devices in the digital orthodontic era.”

The results of this study were selected as the cover paper of the December issue last year of the American Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, and the digital orthodontic device using this technology is currently under patent application.

Prior to this, the research team was selected as the cover paper of the December issue last year of the American Journal of Orthodontics with research results proving that even if wisdom teeth are impacted during adolescent non-extraction orthodontic treatment, there is no need for prior extraction. This marks their appearance on the cover papers of the two major American journals.

The MCPP non-extraction orthodontic method was first developed worldwide by Professor Yoon-Ah Kook in 2006. It is a method that can effectively move the maxillary dentition posteriorly without extraction. Unlike past treatments that involved wearing extraoral devices such as headgear, this method fixes a specially designed skeletal anchorage device to the palate, providing aesthetic effects and minimizing discomfort while moving the molars and entire dentition backward. The greatest advantage is that natural teeth can be preserved because no extractions are performed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.