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Abstract

Retention is the phase holding the teeth following orthodontic treatment in the treated position for the period necessary to maintain the treatment results. It is an important part of any orthodontic treatment and is the process by which orthodontists try to minimize relapse following treatment. Treatment stability is one of the most important objectives in orthodontics and widely agreed that the stability of aligned teeth is variable and largely unpredictable. The various elements leading to the relapse of treated malocclusions are incompletely understood, giving rise to a wide variation in retention protocols among clinicians. The orthodontic retention phase has always been an important part of maintaining a good and stable occlusion after active appliance treatment. Relapse during the post retention period is perhaps the most frustrating in orthodontic treatment. This is because stability of treatment is a major and laudable goal of orthodontics, any attempt to answer many pertinent questions related to this topic potentially carries great clinical importance. The lecture will review the causes of relapse, types of retainer and the best evidence behind attempts to reduce this relapse using retainers and other adjunctive techniques.

Biography

E-mail: drnorma@usm.my