Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a personal perspective

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has undergone an evolution over the past 30 years. As Winston Churchill said, ‘those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat its mistakes.’ and it is cogent to understand something of the history in order to put current ‘advances’ into perspective. As we have come to understand more about the structure, function and biomechanics of the native ligament, various techniques have been developed to try and mimic the behaviour of the native ACL. It is an unusual procedure in that the operation developed 30 years ago is still the operation that has the best survivorship according to the ‘big data’ recently coming out from registry studies. Currently the focus is on trying to improve ligamentization and biologic fixation using adjuvant biological techniques.     

The future of the dental profession: a personal perspective

Future needs and demands for oral healthcare will, it is suggested, largely determine the forum, function and size of the dental profession. With the coming of age of the dental team and the development of an ever-increasing range of new therapies, materials, procedures and devices, new organizational systems will be needed to support education and training and subsequent lifelong learning. It is concluded that it is time for the dental team and its regulation to move on. Subject to the profession embracing the future, the years ahead promise to bring many new, exciting opportunities and challenges.     

Guidance on Presentation of Cephalometry-based Research Studies. A personal perspective

Abstract

This paper presents advice on the planning and presentation of cephalometric investigations.     

Managed care--serving two masters

It is likely that enrollment in managed care dental plans will continue to increase. Dentistry can respond to this trend by resisting it; however, just as the health care marketplace drove medical care into managed care mechanisms, so too will these forces impact dentistry. For those who are participating in managed care dental plans, it is heartening that current data indicate that most types of patient care are not adversely affected by reimbursement mechanisms. Dentistry, however, should seek out opportunities to shape the managed care format and must be at the table to assure that ethical principles and conflicts of interest receive due consideration. Dentists who treat patients under a managed care reimbursement system must be certain that the plan does not require providers to sacrifice patient autonomy or compromise care in the process of serving two masters.     

Nothing personal...

Abstract

A sectional fixed appliance is described for the alignment of ectopic maxillary canines. This system has a number of advantages over conventionally employed mechanics. These include both good aesthetics and optimal tooth alignment.