Open Letter to the GDC

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To the GDC:
For too long our concerns have not been heard nor debated.
We are seeking public engagement on these topics and
would like the GDC to engage with us.

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1. Crooked teeth, sleep apnea, and jaw joint problem are
   predominantly the result of your environment and lifestyle,
   not genetics.
2. Crooked teeth, or malocclusion, is a symptom of poor
   craniofacial growth, not an independent disease.
3. The three-dimensional collapse or retraction of the
   maxillae (as described by Craniofacial Dystrophy¹) leads to
   malocclusion and more narrow airway.
4. With or without extractions, modern orthodontics can, at
   times, be retractive.
5. A reduced or insufficient airway is implicated in sleep
   apnoea, which has been shown to impair cognitive and
   neurological development and reduce life expectancy.
6. It is not acceptable for the orthodontic speciality to openly
   admit that it does not understand the cause of the problem
   and not to fully engage in full, free and fair debate on this
   issue.
7. Before starting treatment, orthodontic providers should
   explain the possible side effects of retraction.
8. Faces that grow fully forward have space for all their teeth, fewer of these ailments, and look attractive.
9. Patients lack adequate information on other less popular
   treatment approaches to make informed choices, in
   particular, prior to maxillofacial surgery.
10. Crooked teeth, malocclusion, sleep apnoea, and TMJ
    dysfunction could be reduced or prevented by simple,
    public health measures (or at times inexpensive
    orthodontic procedures).

We do not claim to have all the answers, but we do claim to
have asking the right questions. We call for a full, fair and free
debate on these subjects.

Free; anyone and everyone can participate and be heard,
undesirable voices are not excluded.

Fair; a level playing field, where an independent scientific
body ensures fair play.

Full; no areas are excluded or considered irrelevant until
proven otherwise.

We would like to all practitioners to have equal access to the
salaried researches paid by for by the state, and we would like the
opportunity for all the different groups to engage in prospective
comparative research, including comparison of facial form. We
realise that research and evidence is less valuable without the
context provided by logic and discussion. It is our concern that
legitimate debate is not occurring within the orthodontist speciality which is becoming more of a religion than a science.

We want the truth, the whole truth

and no dogma.