THE AAOF CRANIOFACIAL GROWTH LEGACY COLLECTION: A POWERFUL NEW TOOL FOR ORTHODONTIC TEACHING AND RESEARCH

摘要

This chapter reports and illustrates a multi-institutional project that uses the capabilities of cloud computing and the Internet to collect and share craniofacial images and numerical data of importance to orthodontic education and research. The project will provide interested investigators all over the world with near-instantaneous access to longitudinal information on the spontaneous craniofacial growth of untreated children with various kinds of malocclusion. The collection will facilitate investigations on the spontaneous course of development in children with malocclusions of different types. In addition, the AAOF Legacy Collection constitutes a unique source of control samples for testing the validity of consensually accepted beliefs about the effects of orthodontic treatment.