LA TECHNIQUE BIOPROGRESSIVE

Abstract

The bioprogressive technique refers to a general concept developed by Ricketts in the late 1950s. At the heart of this concept is diagnosis, to which Gugino attributes 75% of treatment success, 25% of which is attributable to the design and implementation of mechanical systems. This true philosophy of orthodontics takes into account the esthetic, occlusal, periodontal and functional objectives of matrix neutralization. The "twelve principles" proposed by Ricketts, Gugino, Bench, Hilgers and Schulhof in 1980 constitute the basis of its operation. In order to achieve the defined objectives, the bioprogressive technique has diagnostic means (clinical examination, dental check-up, skeletal analysis), the creation of a treatment plan (short and long term objectives of the visual treatment) and therapeutic means. These include custom-made fixtures and specific wires (elgiloy, currently abandoned in favor of titanium-molybdenum alloy [TMA]) based onarch segmentation. The use of the basic arch and its derivatives, as well as various anchoring methods, are the particularities of the technique, which is characterized by its progressive character. Thus, balance or harmony, the fundamental values of the concept, are respected through a technique at the service of the treatment, elaborated taking into account the patient in his or her globality.