A clear expansion

The Invisalign University Programme has been deemed an integral part of the course for post graduate dentists as they train to be orthodontists, which recognises that aligner treatments are now accepted as a mainstream orthodontic treatment.

Since its inception in 2013 the programme has been run at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup, Kent; The Countess of Chester Hospital and the Dublin Dental Hospital. These early adopters realised the advantage to train their orthodontic students in aligner techniques before they qualify as Specialists to ensure graduates are au fait the latest techniques they are likely to be asked about in practice. The expanded programme is now also to be offered at the universities of Leeds, Cardiff, Newcastle and Sheffield.

When asked to comment on scope of the programme for their students the course leaders explained their reasons for adopting it as follows:

David Morris, consultant orthodontist and head of department at the Leeds Dental Institute, one of the largest regional institutions to participate in the programme stated: ”I was keen for Leeds to be involved with this innovative Invisalign teaching programme which is supported by Align technology. All our orthodontic postgraduate trainees will end up benefiting from having some actual hands-on clinical experience with this appliance system rather than relying on theoretical knowledge alone. This should make them better equipped to make the right decision for their future patients by realising Invisalign's potential as well as its limitations.  It is a useful addition to the trainee orthodontist's armamentarium and is likely to spawn new research ideas."