SAN JOSE, Calif., June 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Align Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALGN) today announced eleven recipients of research grants under the company’s Annual Research Award Program. Now in its ninth year of funding, nearly $300,000 is being awarded for 2018 to researchers at universities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The global interest and research of dental and orthodontic treatment continues to grow as evidenced by the increasing number of applications Align Technology receives each year from universities all over the globe.

“As leaders in clear aligner therapy, we are committed to the advancement of the orthodontic and dental fields. Innovations in technology have provided more insight than ever before into clinical and scientific research, and we are pleased to support universities around the world aimed at the improvement of dental and orthodontic patient care,” said Zelko Relic, Align Technology chief technology officer and senior vice president, global research & development. 

The Americas research award recipients for 2018 are:

• Dr. Kurtis Kasper at University of Texas at Houston (Houston, Texas)
• Dr. Paula Vanessa Pedron Oltramari-Navarro at UNOPAR, Brazil (Londrina-PR, Brazil)
• Dr. Solange de Paula Ramos at the Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Brazil (Londrina-PR, Brazil)
• Dr. Jorge Faber at University of Brasilla (Brasilla, Brazil)

The European research award recipients for 2018 are:

• Dr. Tomasso Castroflorio at the University of Turin (Turin, Italy)
• Dr. William Papaioannou at National Kapodistrian University of Athens (Athens, Greece)
• Dr. Patricia Cintora Lopez at University of Madrid (Madrid, Spain)

The Asian research award recipients for 2018 are:

• Dr. Wenli Lai at Sichuan University (Chengdu, China)
• Dr. Hu Long at Sichuan University (Chengdu, China)
• Dr.  Liu Jihui at DaLian Medical University (Dalian Liaoning Province, China)
• Dr. Meghna Vandekar at YMT Dental College & Hospital (Mumbai, India)

The funded research studies cover a wide range of topics for projects seeking to better understand treatment in orthodontics and dentistry including: Orthodontic Induced Inflammatory Root Resorption (OIIRR); composite material of attachments; clear aligners in elderly population; oral impacts of Invisalign treatment vs fixed lingual appliances; gingival crevicular fluid; Invisalign clear aligners plus iTero scanning and CBCTs; shorter treatment time; Invisalign G6; and demineralization with fixed versus Invisalign treatment.

All award applications received were reviewed and prioritized by an independent academic committee in a blind evaluation, with the final recipients determined by Align Technology.

About Align Technology, Inc.

Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign® system, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, and iTero® intraoral scanners and services. Align’s products help dental professionals achieve the clinical results they expect and deliver effective, cutting-edge dental options to their patients. Visit www.aligntech.com for more information.

For additional information about the Invisalign system or to find an Invisalign provider in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com. For additional information about iTero digital scanning system, please visit www.itero.com.

Investor Relations Contact        
Madelyn Homick                      
Align Technology, Inc.              
(408) 470-1180
mhomick@aligntech.com

Press Contact              
Shannon Mangum Henderson
Ethos Communication, Inc.
(678) 261-7803
align@ethoscommunication.com 

Source: Align Technology, Inc.