Contemporary Orthodontic Workflows: A Panacea for Efficiency?

We remember a conversation with a senior orthodontic colleague who said, “At this point as we speak, around 10,000 brackets are being bonded and the same number of airplanes are taking off or landing in the world, where do you think we experience more errors- in bracket positions or with the airplanes?” The answer is obvious to most of us! The first flight by the Wright Brothers was on December 17, 1903- approximately around the same time when the specialty of Orthodontics was finding its feet. The relatively error-free systems that aviation has adopted have contributed to the consistency with which efficacy is attained in the field. Technology enhances its application and precision manyfold when coupled with structured Workflows, Checklists and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The orthodontic landscape is metamorphosizing itself and the infusion of newer biomaterials, inter-specialty techniques and appliance systems warrants a structured and organized approach to orthodontic efficacy and efficiency. 1 Sondhi Anoop A management manifesto: standard Operating Protocols and the application of checklists for orthodontic practices. Semin Orthod. 2016; 22 (ISSN 1073-8746): 262-269 Google Scholar ,2 Vaid N.R. Sabouni W. Wilmes B. Bichu Y.M. Thakkar D.P. Adel S.M. Customized adjuncts with clear aligner therapy: “The Golden Circle Model” explained!. J World Fed Orthod. 2023; 11: 216-225 Google Scholar