Our more detail-minded readers may have already noticed some changes on the masthead opposite this column. We are pleased to welcome Drs. Frank Chang of Taiwan and Rohit Sachdeva of Dallas as Contributing Editors, along with Dr. Birte Melsen of Denmark as an Associate Editor. In addition, Drs. Thomas Creekmore of Houston and Bjorn Zachrisson of Norway, long-time Contributing Editors, are now Associate Editors. The new faces only reemphasize the global scope of today's orthodontic profession.
Dr. Chang, Head of the Orthodontic Department at the National Taiwan University, represents a new generation of highly knowledgeable and skilled orthodontists who now practice all over Asia. I first came to appreciate his unusual orthodontic insight a few years ago during a conference in Taipei, and since then his generosity and kindness have greatly enriched my professional life. We hope Dr. Chang will serve as a conduit to help the innovations now germinating in his part of the world reach a wider audience through JCO.
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Dr. Sachdeva came to the United States by a rather circuitous route. He was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, received his dental training in that country, served as an orthodontic registrar in the United Kingdom, and completed his orthodontic training at the University of Connecticut under Dr. Charles Burstone. Dr. Sachdeva brings an impressive array of talents and accomplishments to our editorial board. Currently a Professor of Orthodontics at Baylor Dental College in Dallas, he has authored numerous articles, participated in several important research projects, and spoken at conferences around the world. He holds several patents for titanium wires and products, the best known being Ormco's Copper NiTi wire. With his enthusiasm, insatiable intellect, and entrepreneurial ingenuity, he epitomizes the first-generation immigrants who have so enriched this nation over its history.
Dr. Melsen has been a valued and frequent contributor to JCO, and so we are excited about her agreement to serve on the board. She is Head of the Orthodontic Department at the Royal Dental College in Aarhus, Denmark. Aside from directing what one credible expert calls the world's finest orthodontic training program, Dr. Melsen also conducts a private orthodontic practice and somehow found time to codevelop the multimedia program, Biomechanics in Orthodontics (JCO, March 1994), with Dr. Giorgio Fiorelli of Siena, Italy.
I have been a dedicated Macintosh user since I started with computers a few years back, and only recently bought a PC that allowed me finally to review this amazing CD-ROM program. Without a doubt, it is the most original and innovative collection of orthodontic theories, therapies, and instruction ever assembled in one source. No simple print narrative can ever hope to match what this multimedia publication accomplishes. It combines text, hypertext links, images, animation, and audio with more than 70 clinical cases that illustrate the mechanics and treatment plans used by the authors.
The CD-ROM, which comes with excellent operating instructions, comprises eight sections that can work either independently or simultaneously in separate windows. An index provides access to 20 chapters on topics such as determinate and indeterminate systems, alignment loops, segmented arches, asymmetries, occlusograms, treatment planning, force systems, space closure, and metallurgy. Clinical cases make up another independent book, as do the glossary, bibliography, and video animations. A notebook provides a place for entering personal comments. The exercise book allows users to test their knowledge and receive immediate feedback, along with suggested answers and references.
Biomechanics in Orthodontics is available through Dr. Fiorelli (fax: 39-575-352-795; e-mail: giofiore@ats.it). Its high cost ($2,300) may discourage individual orthodontists from purchasing it, but this is cheap tuition for such extensive postgraduate training. Orthodontic departments the world over would certainly do students and their future patients a big favor by providing them with this astonishing source of information. I know my own patients would have benefited if I had bought my PC sooner and started using the principles that Drs. Melsen and Fiorelli suggest.
Incidentally, several of the images used this month in Dr. Fiorelli's article on digital photography went from Dr. Fiorelli's digital camera in Italy, through his computer, to JCO in Colorado via e-mail, to JCO's graphic artist by e-mail, to the printer in New York by Zip disk, to the film used to print these pages. You therefore hold in your hands, wherever in the world you may be, virtual first-generation prints of Dr. Fiorelli's patients. A small world is getting smaller every day.
LWW
