Ormco Announces SPARK Clear Aligner System Upgrade with 3D Root-Bone Imaging for Precision Orthodontics

Driven by rising health awareness, growing economic prosperity, and increasing aesthetic demands among the Chinese population, China’s oral care market has emerged as a sector worth hundreds of billions of yuan. Within this market, orthodontics has become the fastest-growing segment, fueled by the “beauty economy” and empowered by digital technologies.

However, in the face of substantial market demand, there is a significant shortage of licensed dentists in China, with only approximately 5,000 specialized orthodontists. Amid this wave of aesthetic pursuit, how can consumers make rational and prudent choices to achieve both beauty and oral health?

May 26–28, 2021 Ormco Orthodontic Forum Opens. More than 60 orthodontic experts and a thousand orthodontists gathered in Xi’an to partake in this annual academic feast.

During the forum, Ormco, with over 60 years of dedication to orthodontics, unveiled the newly upgraded SPARK Aligners APPROVER software and invited orthodontic experts to discuss under the theme “Precise Diagnosis · Healthy Smiles” how innovations in digital orthodontic technology can elevate precise orthodontic diagnosis and treatment to new heights.

Since its launch, the SPARK clear aligner system has gained widespread recognition among professional orthodontists for its superior biomaterials and APPROVER, a treatment-planning software that empowers clinicians.

This time, SPARK Jingliang has further upgraded the APPROVER software to provide 3D imaging of real tooth roots and jawbones, assisting orthodontists in defining clear target positions for treatment, anticipating risks during the orthodontic process, and delivering a more precise, convenient, and safe digital solution.

At the expert exchange meeting,Professor Bai Yuxing, Dean of Beijing Stomatological Hospital and School of Stomatology, Capital Medical University, stated“The outer layer of the alveolar bone consists of cortical bone tissue; during orthodontic treatment, tooth movement must not contact or exceed the boundaries of this cortical bone. To ensure the safety of orthodontic tooth movement, three-dimensional data on the tissues and structures of each tooth root are required. This ensures that the tooth roots remain within the safe boundaries of the cortical bone structure both during and after orthodontic treatment, thereby preventing fenestration and dehiscence, and avoiding adverse effects on the structural integrity and stability of the teeth as well as on the structure and function of the periodontal tissues.”

“By visualizing the actual tooth roots and alveolar bone, clinicians can more accurately assess whether the root positions are safe when the crowns reach their ideal aligned positions during software-based orthodontic treatment planning, thereby delivering more precise and efficient treatment solutions for patients.”Professor Fang Bing, Director of the Department of Orthodontics at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, added“Real-world data on tooth roots and jawbones are leveraged to develop superior auxiliary diagnostic tools for clinicians, addressing practical clinical needs. Continuous validation of virtual systems against real-world clinical challenges through post-market clinical studies drives ongoing software updates and iterations, which holds significant promise for enhancing the safety and efficacy of orthodontic treatment. We encourage more enterprises to pursue such clinically driven innovations.”

As clinically based digital innovations continue to empower physicians by delivering more precise and safe orthodontic solutions, the dentist-free digital orthodontic treatment under the DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) model is harming consumers. The two professors also expressed their views at the conference: “Dentist-free orthodontics is akin to dancing on a tightrope, with unimaginable consequences. Therefore, whether opting for traditional or digital orthodontics, patients should always seek treatment from qualified professionals.”

Digitalization is continuously narrowing the gap between the virtual and the real, yet truly bridging the “last mile” requires close collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions.In this multi-billion-dollar market characterized by rapid growth, Ormco remains ever-vigilant, committed to delivering innovations that truly empower clinicians and benefit patients, thereby creating more confident, healthy, and beautiful smiles.