Council on Scientific Affairs
Dr. Jeryl D. English
The Council on Scientific Affairs (COSA) met on January 7, 2007 in St. Louis. COSA determined the following AAO Research Awards:
Milo Hellman Research Award to:
Dr. Lina Moreno from the University of Iowa for her paper titled Major Locus for Cleft Lip and Palate Mapped to Chromosome 9Q22-Q33.
Harry Sicher Research Award to:
Dr. Mohamed I. Masoud from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine for his paper titled Assessing Skeletal Maturity Using Blood Spot Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) Testing.
Thomas M. Graber Award of Special Merit to:
Dr. Matthew D. Dunn from the University of Michigan for his paper titled Local Delivery of Osteoprotegerin for Orthodontic Anchorage.
Dr. Roberto Carrillo from the Baylor College of Dentistry - Texas A&M Health Science Center for his paper titled Intrusion of Multiradicular Teeth and Related Root Resorption Using Mini-Screw Implant Anchorage - A Radiographic Evaluation.
Dr. Eric Haney from the University of California - San Francisco for his paper titled Comparative Analysis of Traditional Radiographs and Cone Beam Computed Tomography Volumetric Images in the Diagnosis and Treatment Planning of Maxillary Impacted Cuspids.
Dr. Chad R. Sears from the University of California - San Francisco for his paper titled Pharyngeal Airway Changes after Orthognathic Surgery as Assessed by Conebeam Computed Tomography.
COSA clarified the eligibility rules for the AAO Research Awards. Starting with the 2008 applications, each ADA or CDA accredited orthodontic program can submit up to two applications for the Hellman/Sicher/Graber Awards. Applicants can concurrently submit their paper for Hellman/Sicher/Graber consideration and to the AJODO for publication. However, if the paper is accepted by the AJODO, the article should not be published prior to the end of the year when the paper is also being considered for the awards. Applicants should follow the AJODO publication guidelines. Only orthodontic program chairs and orthodontic program directors should submit applications for the Hellman/Sicher/Graber Awards. Only one application per person should be submitted for the Hellman/Sicher/Graber Awards.
COSA accepted 28 Oral Research applications, 158 Posterboard applications and 34 Table Clinic applications to be presented at the 2007 AAO Annual Session.
COSA continues to be involved with evidence based orthodontic research. Article citations are being added to the evidence based orthodontic research web site every month. The web site is found on the aaomembers.org web site. COSA approved the definitions used on the evidence based orthodontic research web site and the criteria used to determine if an article citation should be added to the web site.
In 2007, COSA will publish in the AJODO a summary statement on evidence based research on root resorption. The 2008 summary statement will be on evidence based research on palatal expansion - long term stability.
COSA was asked by the Board of Trustees to monitor the potential effects of bisphosphonates on orthodontic patients. COSA has been collecting article citations that focus on bisphosphonates and orthodontics. COSA will make this information available to the membership via a web site. COSA also reviewed all AAO forms and suggested revising the AAO Informed Consent forms to incorporate what we know about bisphosphonate therapy and its impact on orthodontic treatment.
In a response from a report from the ADA Standards Committee on Dental Products, COSA decided that developing standardized specifications for adhesive materials that are specifically used for bonding orthodontic brackets is not a high priority at this time.
COSA was asked by Council on Insurance (COI) to develop a response regarding reading Cone Beam CTs. Given the evolving nature of this topic, and the lack of a clear-cut answer, COSA did not feel it would be appropriate for COI to make a final decision without advice from other medico-legal experts. Additionally, it should be stressed that the field of cone-beam technology is currently undergoing rapid development, and with these changes, our responsibilities for interpreting these images may also evolve. COI will likely need periodic re-evaluation of this issue, with continued advice from experts in the medico-legal field.
COSA reviewed the 2006 AAO Member Needs and Satisfaction Study Results. Based on responses to the evidence based orthodontic questions in the survey, COSA recommended to the BOT that an Evidence Based Orthodontics Conference be held as one of the upcoming mid-winter conferences.