Dr. Werner Schupp &  Dr. Oliver Ahlers

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Dr. Werner Schupp

Germany

  • Studied dentistry at the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster; final examination in 1985, doctorate in 1986. 
  • From 1987 to 1989, he worked as an assistant in the Department of Orthodontics at the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster under Director Prof. Dr U. Ehmer; specialist in orthodontics since 1989 
  • Worked in the private orthodontic practice of Dr D.E. Toll, DDS (US) in 1989 and 1990   
  • Ran a private practice as a specialist in orthodontics in Cologne from 1991 to 2024 
  • Since March 2025, Senior Consultant in the Department of Orthodontics (Director Prof. Dr G. Danesh) at Witten/Herdecke University 



Publication of the books: 

  • “Funktionslehre in der Kieferorthopädie” [Functional Principles in Orthodontics], 2000 (ISBN: 3-928055-03-8) 
  • “Kraniomandibuläres und Muskuloskelettales System” [Craniomandibular and Musculoskeletal System], published 2012 with Dr Boisserée, Quintessence Publishing 
  • “Aligner Orthodontics”, published in 2015 with Dr Haubrich, Quintessence Publishing (English, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and French editions) 
  • “Aligner Orthodontics and Orofacial Orthopaedics”, published 2023 with Dr Haubrich, Quintessence Publishing (English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean editions) 



  • Editor-in-Chief of the “Journal of Aligner Orthodontics”, Quintessence Publishing 
  • Advisory board member of “Manuelle Medizin und Kieferorthopädie” [Manual Medicine and Orthodontics] (Springer) 
  • Advisory board member of “Kieferorthopädie” [Orthodontics], Quintessence Publishing 
  • Certified in manual medicine and osteopathy for orthodontics (DGMM/GBO) 
  • Best Lecture Award, European Aligner Society (EAS) 
  • 2016 founding member and former President of the “German Board of Orthodontics and Orofacial Orthopaedics” (GBO) 
  • Founding member and board member of the “German Society for Aligner Orthodontics” (DGAO) 
  • President of the study group “Craniomandibular and Musculoskeletal Medicine” 
  • Former Visiting Professor at the University of Ferrara, Italy (Chair Prof. Giuseppe Siciliani) 
  • Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Stomatology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China (Chair Prof. Yuxing Bai) 
  • Visiting Professor at Ningbo Stomatological Hospital, People’s Republic of China (Chair Prof. Guo) 
  • Former member of the German national eventing team


Dr. Oliver Ahlers

Germany

Career history: 

  • 1988  State examination in Hamburg and licence to practise 
  • 1989 Research associate at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Department of Restorative Dentistry 
  • 1992 Doctoral degree awarded 
  • 1992 Head of the CMD and Chronic Pain Working Group of the Hamburg Dental Association 
  • 1992  Head of the CMD consultation clinic at the ZMK Clinic, UKE 
  • 1997  Senior Consultant 
  • 2001 Secretary General of the German Society for Functional Diagnostics and Therapy (DGFDT) 
  • 2004 Habilitation and award of the venia legendi 
  • 2004 Deputy Medical Director of the Department of Restorative and Preventive Dentistry 
  • 2005 Founded the CMD Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf 
  • 2005  Appointed specialist in functional diagnostics and therapy by the DGFDT 
  • 2008 Associate editor of the “Journal of Craniomandibular Function” 
  • 2010 CMD Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf certified as the first postgraduate training centre for specialists in functional diagnostics and therapy (DGFDT) 
  • 2014 Chair of the Continuing Education Committee of the Hamburg Dental Association 
  • 2018 Calibrated examiner for the “Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD)” 
  • 2023  Lecturer on CMD and bruxism in the iMED DENT model degree programme at the University of Hamburg 
  • 2025  Certification in MRI in dentistry (Working Group on Imaging in Dentistry, DGZMK) 
  • 2025 President of the German Society for Functional Diagnostics and Therapy (DGFDT) 


Scientific awards 

  • Eleven conference best paper awards from the DGFDT (1996, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) 
  • Four Alex Motsch Awards from the DGFDT for the best scientific publication of the year 
  • Journal articles and books 
  • Approximately 150 journal publications (of which 100 are peer reviewed), several textbooks, and various patents as well as software for dental functional analysis and numerous medical devices 


  • Abstract

    Orthodontic follow-up treatment with aligners after successful functional therapy  


    Privatdozent (PD) Dr M. Oliver Ahlers, Dr Werner Schupp 


    Patients with craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD) may present with misalignments of individual teeth or entire groups of teeth. These can play an important role in the pathogenesis of CMD, regardless of the various hypotheses regarding its aetiology. 


    In such cases, a multi-stage functional diagnostic process is first carried out – now using digital systems such as CMDfact for data acquisition and analysis. This should lead to a structured diagnosis that, in turn, forms the basis for functional therapy using occlusal splints to relax the jaw musculature while establishing a physiological temporomandibular joint position. Changes in muscle tone during functional therapy and/or the resolution of capsulitis/synovitis with a reduction in associated swelling may subsequently alter the condyle position. This requires corresponding adjustments of the occlusal splint.  Functional therapy is successfully completed once symptoms have resolved and a stable jaw position can be measured. Only if a malocclusion is evident in this situation without the occlusal splint (e.g. a posterior open bite) is follow-up treatment required. In cases of caries-free teeth without restorative needs, orthodontic correction of those teeth that geometrically prevent even occlusion in the therapeutic jaw position may be considered. The aim of the presentation is to demonstrate how such situations can be treated using aligners. 

     

    To this end, we will present patients for whom, despite challenging initial conditions, we established a structured diagnosis based on multi-stage functional diagnostics, initiated functional therapy, and successfully completed it. At the end of this process, the patients in question were symptom-free while wearing a positioning splint. Without the positioning splint, a posterior open bite becomes apparent in a physiological joint position and is caused primarily by an orthodontic misalignment of the anterior teeth. 

     

    The core of the presentation is the translation of this situation into a digital treatment plan as the technical basis for the subsequent simulation of tooth movement while maintaining the corrected joint position as a prerequisite for long-term stability without the need to wear an occlusal splint.  

    A key challenge is maintaining the jaw position during aligner wear. We will discuss the available options for achieving this. 

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