Martyn T Cobourne

• BDS, FDSOrthRCS, MSc, PhD
• Professor at King's College London

Background/Objectives: Protraction facemasks are commonly used to treat Class III malocclusion in growing patients. Personalized facemasks designed using 3D modeling software and based on individual 3D face images are now available. This study aimed to assess the mechanical properties of three novel designs of Petit-type facemask appliances through...

Background Maxillary lateral incisor agenesis is often managed with orthodontic space closure and canine substitution. Anatomic gingival margin heights associated with the maxillary anterior teeth are considered important for achieving aesthetic excellence with space closure, but evidence relating to the perceptions of lay people is poor. Objectiv...

Palatal impaction of the maxillary canine is commonly considered as a genetic condition, while the lateral incisor root has been suggested to guide maxillary permanent canine eruption. This review assessed whether agenesis of the maxillary lateral incisor is associated with eruption disturbances of the maxillary canine (displacement or impaction)....

Dysfunction of primary cilia leads to genetic disorder, ciliopathies, which shows various malformations in many vital organs such as brain. Multiple tongue deformities including cleft, hamar-toma, and ankyloglossia are also seen in ciliopathies, which yield difficulties in fundamental functions such as mastication and vocalization. Here, we found t...

Background The published literature represents the fundamental basis of any academic specialty, including orthodontics. Orthodontic research outputs provide useful insight into clinical and research priorities, which can help inform future research efforts and resource outputs. In recent years, the need for more patient-reported outcomes in orthodo...

The development of normal occlusion requires eruptive migration of teeth from their developmental position in the jaw into a functional position within the oral cavity. This process involves significant and coordinated movement in an axial direction and appropriate eruption through the gingival tissues. The mechanisms regulating these developmental...

Introduction The curricula for UK dental specialty training have recently been under review and until 2024, completion of a research component during training in Dental Public Health, Oral Microbiology and Orthodontics has been mandatory (with an alternative route for Orthodontics involving the submission of two scientific papers for those trainees...

Background The advertisement and adoption of untested orthodontic products is common. This study aimed to provide an update regarding the prevalence of clinical trials in orthodontics evaluating commercially marketed products. Associations between marketed/non-marketed products and study characteristics such as direction of effect, declaration of c...

The aim of this study was to determine whether an association between study quality, other study characteristics, and Altmetric Attention Scores (AASs) existed in orthodontic studies.

Background: Maxillary incisor and canine teeth are commonly impacted and require multidisciplinary treatment to accommodate them in the dental arch. Objectives: To assess the periodontal outcomes of impacted maxillary central incisor and canine teeth, which have been successfully aligned in the arch following surgical exposure and orthodontic tr...

Introduction Orthodontic service provision relies on good organisational systems for high standards of patient care and safety. Human factors (HFs) are non-technical skills associated with communication, leadership and teamwork, important for safe patient care. This investigation explored attitudes and understanding of HFs within orthodontic clinic...

Aims To evaluate the quality of information and compliance with General Dental Council (GDC) ethical advertising guidelines for English-language orthodontic websites providing orthodontic treatment with aligners in the United Kingdom (UK). Materials and methods The term 'orthodontic aligners or braces' was entered into the Google online search engi...

The vestibular lamina (VL) forms the oral vestibule, creating a gap between the teeth, lips and cheeks. In a number of ciliopathies, formation of the vestibule is defective, leading to the creation of multiple frenula. In contrast to the neighbouring dental lamina, which forms the teeth, little is known about the genes that pattern the VL. Here we...

Introduction: A failure of maxillary incisor eruption is commonly attributed to the presence of a supernumerary tooth. This systematic review aimed to assess the percentage of impacted maxillary incisors that successfully erupt after surgical removal of supernumerary teeth with or without other interventions. Methods: Systematic literature searc...

Dysfunction of primary cilia leads to genetic disorder, ciliopathies, which shows various malformations in many vital organs such as brain. Multiple tongue deformities including cleft, hamartoma and ankyloglossia are also seen in ciliopathies, which yield difficulties in fundamental functions such as mastication and vocalization. Here, we found the...

Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) occurs through proteolytic remodelling within the periodontium following the application of external force to the tooth. This study describes the first characterization of the salivary peptidome and protease profile during the alignment stage of fixed appliance orthodontic treatment. Unstimulated whole mouth saliva...

Introduction: When proper randomization has been undertaken, statistical testing of baseline characteristics between participants in trial arms in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is not required. This investigation aimed to assess the prevalence of statistical testing of baseline differences in orthodontic RCTs. Factors influencing the underta...

Introduction Space closure is a challenging and time-consuming phase of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. This systematic review evaluated canine retraction duration using fixed appliances after maxillary first premolar extraction. Methods Unrestricted systematic literature searches were conducted in 8 databases for randomized clinical...

Epithelial bending plays an essential role during the multiple stages of organogenesis and can be classified into two types: invagination and evagination. The early stages of invaginating and evaginating organs are often depicted as simple concave and convex curves respectively, but in fact majority of the epithelial organs develop through a more c...

When I first glanced at the title of this book I thought ‘Oh no! A textbook on do it yourself orthodontics? Surely not?’ However, I can reassure you all that it is in fact, nothing of the sort! What it is, is a very interesting and much needed contemporary multi-author account of the history, theoretical background, current applications, and likely...

Background The aim of this study was to identify studies with clustering effects published in orthodontic journals and to assess the frequency by which clustered designs are correctly accounted for in the statistical analysis. Factors associated with appropriate management of clustering effects during the statistical analysis were explored. Materi...

Background Failure of eruption of the maxillary permanent incisor teeth usually presents in the mixed dentition between the ages of 7 and 9 years. Missing and unerupted maxillary incisors can be regarded as unattractive and have a potentially negative impact on facial and dental aesthetics. The presence of a supernumerary tooth (or odontoma) is com...

There is an association between increased overjet and risk of trauma to the maxillary incisor teeth in children and adolescents. It would therefore seem sensible to recommend overjet reduction as early as possible to help reduce this risk. However, orthodontic outcomes are essentially the same whether you start treatment in the early or late mixed...

Highlights the need for remote specialist examinations in orthodontics during the pandemic.Discusses the modifications required to the existing assessment for remote delivery.Candidate and examiner feedback metrics are presented. Highlights the need for remote specialist examinations in orthodontics during the pandemic. Discusses the modifications...

Early orthodontic treatment in the mixed dentition aims to simplify definitive treatment in the permanent dentition. In Class III cases, this can be an effective strategy for the management of a local anterior crossbite, using either a removable or simple fixed appliance. For more significant Class III malocclusions, the decision to intervene early...

Key points The Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and British Dental Journal have teamed up to provide a regular series of short articles on different aspects of clinical and academic dentistry. Aims to provide insight into a diverse range of topics commissioned from a wide spectrum of authors in an accessible and...

Aim To investigate reliability of the Easy IOTN app between clinicians with different levels of experience in determining Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) Dental Health Component (DHC) and Aesthetic Component (AC) scores from study models. The accuracy of each clinician in discriminating treatment need using the app against the 'gold stan...

Orofacial clefts (OC) represent some of the most common congenital malformations and affect multiple structures in the craniofacial region. There are a wide range of morphological OC types within the spectrum of both non‐syndromic OC (NSOC) and syndromic OC, including cleft lip (CL); cleft lip and palate (CLP) and cleft palate (CP). Here, we descri...

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the intra-oral bacterial profile of normal-weight and obese adolescents prior to orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. Materials and methods: Nineteen adolescent patients were recruited into two groups based upon body mass index (BMI) and classified as normal-weight or obese. Unstimulated w...

Aim The aim of this international survey was to assess knowledge concerning the design, conduct, critical appraisal and synthesis of clinical studies among senior orthodontic postgraduate residents. Materials and methods Senior postgraduate residents from four universities in Europe and the United States were invited to complete a custom questionn...

Background A systematic review of the evidence should be undertaken to support the justification for undertaking a clinical trial. The aim of this study was to examine whether reports of orthodontic Randomised Clinical Trials (RCTs) cite prior systematic reviews (SR) to explain the rationale or justification of the trial. Study characteristics that...

Introduction Because of their importance in health care research, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) should be correctly labeled in the title to ensure it reflects the methodologic standards undertaken. This study aimed to assess whether orthodontic RCTs are correctly titled RCTs, and trial characteristics that influence correct labeling in titles...

Objectives To identify the 10 most numerically prolific authors publishing in the field of orthodontics for each year over the last decade (2011-2020), describe the characteristics of these outputs and identify trends in the types of study being published. Materials and Methods A Scopus literature search was conducted to identify the 10 most numer...

Achondroplasia, the most common skeletal dysplasia, is characterized by a variety of medical, functional and psychosocial challenges across the lifespan. The condition is caused by a common, recurring, gain-of-function mutation in FGFR3, the gene that encodes fibroblast growth factor receptor 3. This mutation leads to impaired endochondral ossifica...

Introduction In the UK, orthodontic speciality training takes place over three years full-time. In addition to the clinical training, there is an expectation that trainees undertake a higher degree. Currently, there is little evidence regarding the impact of undertaking a higher degree on specialist orthodontists. Aims Investigate UK orthodontists'...

The mammalian dentition is a serially homogeneous structure that exhibits wide numerical and morphological variation among multiple different species. Patterning of the dentition is achieved through complex reiterative molecular signaling interactions that occur throughout the process of odontogenesis. The secreted signaling molecule Sonic hedgehog...

Background Orthodontic patients wearing fixed appliances are susceptible to traumatic dental injuries during a wide range of sporting activities. This randomized clinical trial investigated wearability and preference of mouthguards during sporting activities in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. Methods A prospective...

Objective The use of media campaigns in health promotion has become more common in recent years. #HoldthatSmile is a British Orthodontic Society life-long retention awareness campaign aimed at the general public and dental profession launched in 2017. This study investigated #HoldthatSmile exposure on social media platforms over a 12-month period f...

Introduction A key goal of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances is alignment of the dentition, and this remains a commonly selected outcome in clinical studies investigating orthodontic tooth movement. This systematic review has evaluated treatment duration to achieve alignment of the mandibular dentition using fixed appliances. Methods Sys...

Introduction The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG) offer the bi-collegiate Membership in Orthodontics (MOrth) examination, a summative assessment of specialist knowledge, skill and behaviour in orthodontics. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound global effect on almo...

Featured Application The clinical use of vitamin D3 could allow for more predictable treatment outcome during orthodontic therapy, accelerating dentition alignment. Abstract A cumulative review with a systematic approach aimed to provide a comparison of studies’ investigating the possible impact of the active form of vitamin D3, calcitriol (CTL),...

Class II malocclusion represents a relatively common post‐normal sagittal discrepancy between the maxillary and mandibular dental arches. Occasionally, a Class I incisor relationship can exist in the presence of a Class II buccal segment relationship associated with space loss and crowding. The management of Class II cases will depend primarily on...

Objective: To assess static occlusal outcomes for patients with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) and cleft palate (CP) managed within a UK Regional Cleft Service and to compare with previously published Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) scores from a non-cleft population of patients treated within a UK consultant-led hospital service. Design: Retrospect...

Objective To assess orthodontic clinicians’ knowledge and attitudes towards dentogingival aesthetics and to explore characteristics that predict the knowledge of dentogingival aesthetics. Design Cross-sectional questionnaire Setting On-line survey of members of the British Orthdontic Society. Materials and Methods An 11-item online questionnaire...

Background The vertebrate tongue is a complex muscular organ involved in mastication, taste sensation, and articulation. The tongue is affected in many syndromes, diseases, and malignancies. It has recently been shown that a cascade of signaling interactions between different cell populations during embryogenesis orchestrates the development of the...

Background: Orthodontic patients wearing fixed appliances are susceptible to traumatic dental injuries during contact-sport. This laboratory study investigated the protective qualities of orthodontic mouthguards using impact-testing to a typodont fitted with a fixed appliance through peak load transfer and retention of the mouthguard. Methods: S...

Background At the clinical trial design stage, assumptions regarding the treatment effects to be detected should be appropriate so that the required sample size can be calculated. There is evidence in the medical literature that sample size assumption can be overoptimistic. The aim of this study was to compare the distribution of the assumed effect...

Introduction: Previous research has suggested orthodontic advertisements are poorly supported by evidence. The primary aim of this study was to identify the type and quality of evidence supporting advertisement claims in leading orthodontic journals. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to assess all advertisements published between Ja...

Background This study aimed to compare the methodological quality and risk bias of orthodontic systematic reviews (SRs) using the AMSTAR (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews) and ROBIS (Risk of Bias in Systematic Review) tools. Materials and Methods A search of electronic databases (OVID and Medline) was undertaken to identi...

Introduction: The purpose of this quantitative investigation was to assess the influence of lip prominence in relation to the esthetic line (E-line) on perceived attractiveness and threshold values of desire for treatment. Methods: The lip prominence of an idealized silhouette male white profile image was altered incrementally between -16 mm to...

Objective To survey the opinion of British Orthodontic Society members on the Journal of Orthodontics. Design Data collection involved an anonymous cross-sectional online SurveyMonkey™ questionnaire. Methods An email invitation to complete the survey was sent to the 1842 members of the British Orthodontic Society on 9 June 2020 with a follow-up r...

The challenge of COVID-19 meant that there was an imperative to provide an alternative to face-to-face delivery for those trainees who required examination in autumn 2020 to progress within, or exit from specialty training programmes. Written examinations were most easily adaptable to online delivery, with established platforms readily available fo...

Background This study aimed to assess the reporting of the methodological quality of search strategies undertaken in orthodontic quantitative systematic reviews (SRs) and hence their reproducibility. Materials and methods A search of a single electronic database (Medline via PubMed) was undertaken to identify interventional orthodontic SRs with me...

The mammalian dentition exhibits wide numerical and morphological variation between different species. The regulation of dental pattern is achieved through complex reiterative molecular signalling interactions that occur through multiple stages of tooth development. We show that mice with loss-of-function in the Hedgehog co-receptor Gas1 have varia...

This observational study compared palatal rugae morphology in adolescent subjects with normal tooth number and tooth agenesis. Maxillary dental study casts were used to compare rugae number, length and shape. Each study group contained 60 subjects (30 females and 30 males) mean age 13.4 (SD, 1.55) in control and 13.56 (SD, 1.54) years in tooth agen...

Genomic medicine is on the threshold of a significant advance in the United Kingdom (UK) with the introduction of a National Health Service (NHS) Genomic Medicine Service. This world-leading initiative aims to integrate genomic medicine into routine NHS care and has the potential to revolutionise healthcare in the UK, including dentistry. The initi...

Objective The primary objective of this study was to investigate the publication rate of scientific abstracts presented at the British Orthodontic Conference 2009–2014. Predictors of full-text publications after presentation of abstracts were explored. Design Cross-sectional study. Materials and methods Details of abstracts were retrieved from th...

Introduction: This prospective clinical cohort study investigated the potential influence of obesity on orthodontic treatment outcome. Methods: A prospective cohort of adolescent patients undergoing routine fixed appliance treatment were recruited into normal-weight or obese groups based upon body mass index (BMI) centile and followed up until t...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Gas1 and Boc/Cdon act as co-receptors in the vertebrate Hedgehog signalling pathway, but the nature of their interaction with the primary Ptch1/2 receptors remains unclear. Here we demonstrate, using primordial germ cell migration in mouse as a developmental model, that specific hetero-complexes of Ptch2/Gas1 and Ptch1/Boc mediate the process of Sm...

Objective; To carry out a UK national clinical audit of orthognathic acceptance criteria and information provided to orthognathic patients prior to treatment. / Design; National clinical audit. / Setting; Data collected using Bristol Online Surveys (BOS). / Participants; 69 UK hospital orthodontic departments submitted data. / Methods; Data was col...

Introduction: A prospective randomized study was undertaken to compare conventional study model-based manual Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) scoring with computer-based automated scoring using scanned study models or intraoral scanning. Methods: The sample consisted of 67 patients, mean age 15.03 (range 11-37) years. Sixty-seven patients underwent...

Objectives To investigate the relationship between the use of social networking sites (SNSs) on patient perceptions, acceptance, and expectations of treatment using temporary anchorage devices (TADs) and to compare differences between patients from the United Kingdom and Brazil. Materials and Methods Cross-sectional questionnaires were administere...

Purpose: This study evaluated the opinion of different observer groups about the influence of the submental length on perceived attractiveness and when surgical correction was deemed necessary. Materials and methods: The submental length of an idealized silhouette of a white male profile was altered incrementally between 5 and 95 mm. Images were...

The tongue is a highly specialised muscular organ with a complex anatomy required for normal function. We have utilised multiple genetic approaches to investigate local temporospatial requirements for sonic hedgehog (SHH) signalling during tongue development. Mice lacking a Shh cis-enhancer, MFCS4 (ShhMFCS4/-), with reduced SHH in dorsal tongue epi...

Objective To carry out a UK national clinical audit of orthognathic acceptance criteria and information provided to orthognathic patients before treatment. Design National clinical audit. Setting Data collected using Bristol Online Surveys. Participants Sixty-nine UK hospital orthodontic departments submitted data. Methods Data were collected a...

We thank our colleagues for their thoughtful remarks

Zusammenfassung Der vorliegende Beitrag hat zum Ziel, das Konzept der evidenzbasierten Medizin für die Kieferorthopädie vorzustellen. Dazu werden Geschichte und Philosophie der evidenzbasierten Medizin ebenso diskutiert, wie ihre Implementierung in die tägliche kieferorthopädische Praxis. Der Einfluss der evidenzbasierten Medizin wird dann am Beisp...

Background: Assessment of orthodontic treatment outcomes such as treatment duration in patients with hypodontia are lacking. Objectives: To assess the overall treatment duration of cases of bilateral absent upper lateral incisors treated with either orthodontic space closure (SC) or space opening (SO). The secondary aim was to determine factors...

The aim and objective of this study was to evaluate the quality and readability of leaflet and online Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery patient information leaflets (PILs). The quality, readability and grade level of each PIL was assessed using the DISCERN, Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level instruments respectively. In total, 140 patie...

Objectives: To investigate the effects of obesity on biomarker levels within lower incisor gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in subjects undergoing routine fixed appliance orthodontic treatment. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional clinical cohort study. GCF was collected from normal-weight and obese subjects at completion of alignmen...

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the quality of reporting of full-text articles of dental diagnostic accuracy studies published in eight leading speciality dental journals in relation to the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (STARD) statement. Methods: The full articles of all included studies were assess...

Objectives The inhibitory action of the superficial gingival connective tissues may limit the regenerative potential of alveolar bone in periodontal therapy or dental implant applications. The aims of this study were to investigate the hypothesis that gingival fibroblasts (GF) can inhibit bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)‐induced osteoblastic differ...

Objectives:: To investigate, using a split-mouth randomized clinical design, the effect of micro-osteoperforation (MOP) on mini-implant supported canine retraction using fixed appliances. Materials and methods:: Thirty subjects (seven males and 23 females) with a mean age of 22.2 (3.72) years were randomized into three canine retraction groups:...

Periodic patterning of iterative structures is diverse across the animal kingdom. Clarifying the molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of these structure helps to elucidate the process of organogenesis. Turing-type reaction-diffusion mechanisms have been shown to play a critical role in regulating periodic patterning in organogenesis. Pala...

The aim of this systematic review was to assess qualitative changes induced by fixed appliance orthodontic treatment on the subgingival microbiota. Seven databases were searched up to August 2017 for randomized and nonrandomized clinical studies assessing the effect of orthodontic appliances on the subgingival bacteria in human patients. After elim...

Objectives To identify the genetic basis of severe tooth agenesis in a family of three affected sisters. Patients and Methods A family of three sisters with severe tooth agenesis was recruited for whole‐exome sequencing to identify potential genetic variation responsible for this penetrant phenotype. The unaffected father was tested for specific m...

Background: Microdeletion of chromosome 22q11 is associated with significant developmental anomalies, including disruption of the cardiac outflow tract, thymic/parathyroid aplasia and cleft palate. Amongst the genes within this region, TBX1 is a major candidate for many of these developmental defects. Targeted deletion of Tbx1 in the mouse has pro...

This article summarises recently updated guidelines produced by the Clinical Governance Directorate of the British Orthodontic Society through the Clinical Standards Committee of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of England (FDSRCS) on the management of unerupted maxillary incisor teeth in children. The maxillary incisor teet...

The vertebrate tongue is a complex muscular organ situated in the oral cavity and involved in multiple functions including mastication, taste sensation, articulation and the maintenance of oral health. Although the gross embryological contributions to tongue formation have been known for many years, it is only relatively recently that the molecular...

Introduction: A multicenter parallel 3-arm randomized clinical trial was carried out in 3 university hospitals in the United Kingdom to investigate the effect of supplemental vibratory force on space closure and treatment outcome with fixed appliances. Methods: Eighty-one subjects less than 20 years of age with mandibular incisor irregularity un...

(Video presentation at: http://y2u.be/TtGRJ-g6zNo) Objectives: Clinical trial registration is widely recommended, since it allows tracking of trials that helps ensure full and unbiased reporting of their results. Aim of the present overview was to provide empirical evidence on bias associated with trial registration via a meta-epidemiological appr...

Background This study is a quantitative evaluation of the influence of the mentolabial angle on perceived attractiveness and threshold values of desire for surgery. Methods The mentolabial angle of an idealized silhouette male Caucasian profile image was altered incrementally between 84° and 162°. Images were rated on a Likert scale by pretreatmen...