Special Lecture

More than Meets the EYE!... Aligner Evidence through the Clinician's Lens

Nikhilesh R. Vaid

Professor Nikhilesh Vaid is a graduate of the Bharati Vidyapeeth Dental College & Hospital and did his orthodontic residency at the JSS Dental College, Mysore. He obtained his PhD from the Subharati University in northern India. He has been practicing in Mumbai for 20 years and simultaneously been an active academic.
He is currently the Vice Dean -Academics and Professor, Orthodontics at the European University Dental College in Health Care City, Dubai, UAE. He has published 90 plus papers in peer reviewed literature and been the founder Editor in Chief and currently Editor Emeritus of "APOS Trends in Orthodontics". He has Guest edited 4 issues of "Seminars in Orthodontics" on Practice Management, TADS, Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, the maximum by any Guest Editor.
He has lectured at numerous orthodontic forums including the AAO -8 times, IOCs-3 times, the APOC's-5 times and national and regional meetings of more than 45 societies around the globe. He has received 4 awards from the Indian Orthodontic Society and the one at the AAO Annual Session 2017.
He is a Past President of the Indian Orthodontic Society, Asian Pacific Orthodontic Society and the first Asian to be the elected President of the World Federation of Orthodontists from 2020-25.
Dr Vaid is passionate about Bollywood, Psephology, Single Malts and of-course Orthodontics!
E-mail: orthonik@gmail.com

Lecture Description

Aligners play a significant role in current clinical protocols and their use in contemporary practice is only increasing. It is estimated that 30 percent of orthodontic patients globally will be treated by aligners in the next year or so! However, the scholarly evidence based on prospective clinical trials is still scarce, and often confusing for the clinician to make decisions that are applicable in practice. A lot of claims showcased in published case reports and/or manufacturer's learning platforms actually contradict the data reported in independent trials.

This lecture will critically evaluate and discuss aligner science based on …

E- evidence as it exists today!
Y- yearning for clinical applicability! - discuss the missing links.
E- enlist and enumerate challenges and proposed solutions in planning aligner research.

The listener will be able to

understand the nuances of contemporary aligner scholarly literature and its applicability to clinical practice.
differentiate aligner claims that are promotional strategies versus the one that have been tested on the evidence terrain.
understand the missing links in aligner research that can be addressed in future trials.