Marie A. Cornelis

Marie A Cornelis received both her dental degree (1999) and her postgraduate specialist degree in orthodontics (2003) from the University of Louvain, in Brussels. In 2007, she was a Visiting Research scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She defended her PhD about miniplates as temporary skeletal anchorage in Brussels in 2008. In 2010, she finished a 2-year degree in lingual orthodontics at the Universit' Descartes (Paris). She was awarded the WJB Houston Oral Research Award of the European Orthodontic Society in 2008 and the Dewel award as a coauthor of the best clinical paper in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics in 2011. Between 2009 and 2014, she was Assistant Professor at the Department of Orthodontics of the University of Geneva. From 2014 to 2020, she was Associate Professor and Postgraduate Program Director of the Section of Orthodontics, Department of Dentistry, Aarhus University, and in 2015 she became Head of Section. At the same time, she maintained an active orthodontic practice in an interdisciplinary office in Geneva a few days per month. In 2021, Marie became Professor and Head of Orthodontics at the Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne. She is an Active Member of the Angle Society of Europe and a full member of the European Board of Orthodontists. Her research interests are focused on clinical orthodontics, mainly skeletal anchorage, digital workflows and stability/retention.

 

Abstract

Orthodontic retention: where are we now?

Orthodontic retention protocols changed extensively over time. Nowadays, the use of long-term retainers is widely accepted in the orthodontic profession. However, retention procedures diverge substantially from one geographic area of the world to another.

Given that in many countries about half of the population is offered orthodontic treatment, maintainability of orthodontic treatment achievements on a lifelong basis becomes a society issue. To prevent orthodontic relapse, orthodontists need failure-free retainers that help minimizing posttreatment changes, without causing unwanted and detrimental side effects.

Where are we now? Which evidence do we have? What do we know in terms of orthodontic stability in relation to the type of retainer? How often do retainers fail? Do they present side effects?

Aims and Objectives

Aim: To place these questions into perspective based on an overview of the literature.

Objectives: The lecture will give a detailed panorama of retention strategies, thus assisting the clinician in his retention protocol selection.

Objective learning outcomes: Following the lecture, the participants should be aware of the main evidence-based retention protocols in clinical practice, their effectiveness, as well as their side effects.