Timm Cornelius Schott1, Gernot Göz. 1. Poliklinik für Kieferorthopädie, Zentrum für Zahn-, Mund- und Kieferheilkunde, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Osianderstr. 2-8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany. timm.schott@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The objective measurement of wearing times, a task attempted for decades without success, is examined for the first time in a clinical study using the newly-developed TheraMon® system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prototype of the new TheraMon® sensor was embedded in the acrylic of various removable orthodontic devices worn by a group of 20 patients and assessed over a 5-month treatment period. RESULTS: Daily wearing times (hours) were recorded every day throughout the treatment period by means of a wearing-time graph printed out from a computer by the TheraMon® system. In an additional analysis, the length of time the device was worn on each date, as well as any relevant temperature deviations, were also determined. Using a representative sample, we assessed the time during which a 10-year-old patient had worn his upper plate over a 5-month period in relation to treatment progression. CONCLUSION: The objective measurement of wearing times, in the sense of a patient's "electronic intensive care", may lead to a paradigm shift in how wearing times are prescribed, thus contributing to better patient compliance.
BACKGROUND: The objective measurement of wearing times, a task attempted for decades without success, is examined for the first time in a clinical study using the newly-developed TheraMon® system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prototype of the new TheraMon® sensor was embedded in the acrylic of various removable orthodontic devices worn by a group of 20 patients and assessed over a 5-month treatment period. RESULTS: Daily wearing times (hours) were recorded every day throughout the treatment period by means of a wearing-time graph printed out from a computer by the TheraMon® system. In an additional analysis, the length of time the device was worn on each date, as well as any relevant temperature deviations, were also determined. Using a representative sample, we assessed the time during which a 10-year-old patient had worn his upper plate over a 5-month period in relation to treatment progression. CONCLUSION: The objective measurement of wearing times, in the sense of a patient's "electronic intensive care", may lead to a paradigm shift in how wearing times are prescribed, thus contributing to better patient compliance.