title: Some comments on clinical studies in orthodontics and their applications to orthodontic treatment.
abstract: This article indicates the origins and background of the current series of National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research-funded, university-based clinical studies of orthodontic treatment. It suggests that future studies should be less focused on refining our estimates of mean changes during treatment and concentrate research on the systematic analysis of individual differences among patients' responses to treatment, and study how skilled clinicians make in-course corrections in response to unexpected changes in treatment conditions. Finally, some suggestions are made concerning optimization of decision making in the presence of uncertainty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, University of the Pacific, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baumrind
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D009970:Orthodontics / Q000592:standards*; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000592:standards; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D012953:Societies, Dental; D014481:United States