Align Technology Inc, San Jose, Calif, has awarded ten research grants under the company’s Annual Research Award Program.

“As leaders in clear aligner therapy, we remain committed to supporting universities around the world who are dedicated to the improvement of orthodontic and dental patient care,” said Zelko Relic, Align Technology chief technology officer and senior vice president, global research & development. “Now in its tenth year of funding, we continue to support international research with increasing investments in the EMEA and APAC regions.”

The Americas research award recipients for 2019 are Dr Bingshuang Zou, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; and Dr F. Kurtis Kasper, University of Texas at Houston.

The European research award recipients for 2019 are Dr Christina Erbe, University of Mainz, Germany; Dr Serena Ravera, University of Turin, Italy; Dr Erwin Jonke, Medical University of Vienna, Austria; and Dr Luca Levrini, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.

The Asia Pacific research award recipients for 2019 are: Dr Tony Weir, University of Queensland, Australia; Dr Wenli Lai, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Dr Jun Wu, Nanchang University, China; and Dr Yu Li, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

According to the company, the funded research studies cover a range of topics for projects seeking to better understand treatment in orthodontics and dentistry including: efficacy of three-dimensional tooth movements, clinical evaluation of surface wear of attachments, comparing effects of two prescriptions using the mandibular advancement appliance, accuracy of interproximal reduction performed by doctors, efficacy of predefined tooth rotation with aligners, effectiveness of clear aligners in reducing incidence of root resorption and alveolar bone compared to fixed appliances, to determine the impact of intruding posterior teeth and tipping of the occlusal plane during treatment with aligners, and a survey to identify what requirements are important to patients who decide to be treated with aligners.

All award applications received were reviewed and prioritized by an independent academic committee in a blind evaluation. The final recipients were determined by Align Technology.