COMPUTERS IN ORTHODONTICS

¿It has been said that in life two things are inevitable: death and taxes. May I add a third (though not so vital): the application of the Computer to Orthodontic research and diagnosis.¿ -Wilton Marion Krogman, Forensic Anthropologist. These were his opening words at American Association of Orthodontists¿ annual meeting in New Orleans in May 1971. The emergence and refinement of Computer applications in Orthodontics has paralleled the migration of Computing to the desktop. The next decade will be one in which the practitioner will see great changes in the methods by which clinicians routinely evaluate and plane treatment for their patients and communicate their ideas to patients, parents, and colleagues. The emergence of more robust software development tools coupled with the onrush of powerful new hardware will stimulate the design and implementation of a new generation of useful Orthodontic applications.