Thesis (M.S.)--University of Louisville, 2004. / School of Dentistry, Program in Oral Biology. Vita. "May 2004." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 25-26).

Thesis (DR. P.H.)--University of Michigan.

Thesis (DR. P.H.)--University of Michigan.

Practicing orthodontists frequently state that the most difficult aspect of their career is running the practice and managing the staff members. To combat this challenge, some residency programs, including Temple's, offer practice management courses. Residents commonly learn practice management skills from male orthodontists, as they typically make up the majority of the orthodontic faculty. Due to the innate personality and interpersonal relationship differences between females and males, what a male orthodontist teaches may not be true, or effective, for the female orthodontist. The aim of this pilot study was to determine how practice management styles lead to personal and professional success. With the aid of qualitative research protocol, this study assessed: 1. practice management skills and deficiencies exhibited by male and female orthodontists, 2. practice management challenges male and female orthodontists face. The study explored the management styles of male and female orthodontists. The goal of the study was to define if male and female orthodontists exhibit different practice management strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and styles. Based on the study results, the following conclusions have been drawn: 1. Several factors play a role in the orthodontist's personal success: the most important factors being family and happy staff members. 2. Male orthodontists report that their career has a negative effect on their families due to job stresses. In contrast, female orthodontists view their career as having a positive effect on their families due to increased flexibility and reduced burden on their husbands. 3. Male orthodontists have well-defined business goals and aggressively pursue their goals, whereas, female orthodontists are content with their current success and less driven to achieve more. 4. All orthodontists believe their staff members are happy; female orthodontists have longer standing staff members and a more open relationship with their employees. 5. Male orthodontists utilize nearly every orthodontic technology. Interestingly, newer technologies are all but absent from female owned orthodontic offices. / Oral Biology

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Four spectrophotometric procedures for the analysis of phosphorus were evaluated (1F1). The phosphorus concentrations in saliva and dentine were determined. All four analytical procedures were accurate but the one method was the most sensitive. An acid etch enamel biopsy procedure which was originally developed in Switzerland was modified in our laboratory (#2). It was subsequently shown by other investigators that the modified technique was much more accurate for the determination of the fluoride concentration in enamel than the original procedure.

The purpose of this study was to identify and compare preferences and perceptions of orthodontists and general dentists when restoring peg-shaped lateral incisors. The investigation sought to summarize these preferences with regard to treatment planning, tooth preparation and interdisciplinary communication. A pair of mailed and electronic surveys was distributed to 1,500 general dentists and orthodontists, respectively. The results indicated that general dentists perceived that general dentists held the primary decision-making responsibility, while orthodontists disagreed (P<0.0001). Orthodontists prioritized the treatment goals of Class I canine relationship and overbite/overjet more significantly than general dentists, whom valued tooth proportions more highly (P<0.0001). General dentists reported receiving significantly less input than orthodontists report seeking (P<0.0001).The consensus of both groups showed that the tooth should be positioned centered mesiodistally and guided by the gingival margins incisogingivally. Both groups agree that orthodontists must improve communication to improve treatment results.

Recently, soft tissue lasers have been introduced into orthodontic practice to perform procedures that were traditionally referred to other dental professionals. The purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes of orthodontists, periodontists, and general dentists regarding the use of soft tissue lasers by orthodontists. The ultimate goal was to facilitate communication among dental professionals and improve the care of orthodontic patients requiring management of soft tissues. A survey was developed to evaluate and compare the current opinions of orthodontists (n=330), periodontists (n=171), and general dentists (n=77) regarding orthodontists’ use of soft tissue lasers. When compared to orthodontists and general dentists, a lower percentage of periodontists indicated that soft tissue laser use by orthodontists was appropriate (P = 0.001). Also, for each of the 8 specific soft tissue laser procedures investigated, periodontists reported a significantly lower level (P = 0.001) of appropriateness than did orthodontists and general dentists.

No description available.