Funding outcome

Straight teeth and a healthy smile are extremely important to children's well-being. Every year, around 4 million children and teenagers in the US and Canada use orthodontic treatment to correct their bites. In some children, a bad bite position can cause difficulties in moving the mouth, chewing, and talking, affecting their body and mental health. While fixing the bite, teeth might move beyond their bony housing, causing a risk of losing parts of the bone. It is important to see the bone conditions during movement to avoid losing the tooth. This is especially risky for children with appliances on the roof of the mouth that expand their bite. Current bone imaging methods use harmful X-rays that carry cancer risks. Multiple X-ray scans are not recommended for children and adolescents to monitor orthodontic treatments, particularly because children absorb more radiation than adults. New studies have shown that ultrasonography is a safe imaging method that can be used to make images of the teeth, jaw bones, and gums. However, this has not yet been used to monitor orthodontic treatments in children. This study aims to use a new ultrasound to check the change in the bone that supports teeth during orthodontic treatment by capturing ultrasound images of the bones before and after treatments and comparing them. This study can help make ultrasound imaging available for routine checks in children doing orthodontic treatment. This tool can help offer safer treatment plans since it can reduce children and adolescents' exposure to radiation, help the orthodontist anticipate problems during treatment, and reduce the risk of losing a tooth during orthodontic movement.