Maxwell Museum of Anthropology
Orthodontics Case File System
Collection History
In 2005, a graduate student sent out a series of letters to all practicing dental practitioners in the Albuquerque area. The letter asked whether there were any who might consider donating their patient record, including dental casts, to the Maxwell museum so they could be used for research and educational purposes.
Dr. James Economides, a local orthodontist who has been in practice in the Albuquerque area since the early 1970’s responded that he would be interested. After the appropriate planning and legal work was completed, the Maxell Museum formally accepted a collection of patient records including X-rays, intra-oral photos, dental casts, and treatment information.
Working closely with and receiving approval for the project from the UNM Human Research Review Committee, the patients whose records were donated were notified using the last address available in the records. Because patient privacy is of the utmost importance, all patient records are kept in a secure location and no individually identifiable information is made available to the public. In addition, any former patient who would like to withdrawal their records from the collection (either permanently or temporarily for use for further orthodontic treatment) can do so at any time by contacting the Maxwell Museum Curator.
A de-identified portion of the collection is available for review on the web. This de-identified database will help orthodontic students and practitioners to provide optional treatment to their patients as well as provide a powerful tool for orthodontics, dental, anthropological, and biomedical informatics research.