Telematic Opulence
Orthodontics is the application of scientific knowledge to clinical practice, creating changes on the most contemplated surface on earth--the face--on teeth, and on the bones that support them. Among those who practice orthodontics, there are two well-defined groups: researchers and clinicians. Together, they constitute the spectrum of professionals that contribute to the progress of the speciality.
Although the two groups have traditionally shared and exchanged information and have maintained good communication, it is difficult to take maximum advantage of their conclusions and to amalgamate them into a complete body of knowledge that possesses the best qualities of each group. This search for balance has driven some study groups and scientific societies to promote what is known as "clinical research". The combination of clinicians and researchers is one of the foundational objectives of, for example, the Angle Society of Europe.
Today, the orthodontic community is using the advanced technology made possible by computers in word processing, administration, and even cephalometric diagnosis to simplify work that was previously done manually and to save time in an extraordinary way. Even more revolutionary, however, may be the combination of computer and telephone--that is, informatics and telecommunication. This has resulted in the so-called "information superhighway", which permits the simple and rapid transfer of vast amounts of data.
Perhaps the most important advantage of computerization is the ability to perform a quick search and recovery of information. If data can circulate on a network through multiple connections, as happens today with "interactivity", then anyone connected to the net is simultaneously a receiver and a generator of information--a phenomenon of virtually unlimited possibilities.
The amount of data available to scientific societies has now increased exponentially with the emergence on the Internet of international information networks, through which millions of computers converge in a forum that is easily available to all of us. Now, instead of people moving from one place to another to obtain information, both written and pictorial data travel constantly around these networks.
We do not yet know the impact this will have on the future of our profession, but the original idea of creating a scientific society to share information among clinicians and researchers will be boosted, in unforeseen proportions, by the development of an Internet that permits contact without barriers among societies with similar scientific interests. Virtual-reality programs will make it possible for people separated by distance to meet in the same place without actually being together or having to travel. The only thing separating them then might be language--and technology may eventually make even this barrier a relic of the past.
The orthodontic profession is just waking up to these new possibilities. In addition to using computers merely in practice administration, orthodontists will have to cross the threshold of this telematic opulence and share experiences that increase communication and the transfer of information among scientific societies. These societies will then be able to pass on their conclusions to the rest of the profession--clinicians and researchers alike--which can only make our specialty a world even more stimulating, attractive, and rewarding.