Edward Angle

Edward Hartley Angle (1855–1930) was an American dentist who established orthodontics as a dental specialty and devised the influential Angle classification of malocclusion.

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Angle classification: A system that classifies malocclusion by the relationship between the upper and lower first molars. Angle’s best-known framework gave orthodontists a shared language for describing bite relationships.
Malocclusion: A misalignment of the teeth or an incorrect relationship between the upper and lower dental arches. Angle’s classification organizes malocclusions by molar relationship.
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine: A dental school founded in Philadelphia in 1878 as part of the University of Pennsylvania. Angle graduated from the school in 1878 before beginning his dental career.
Andrews' six keys to normal occlusion: Six characteristics of ideal dental occlusion identified by orthodontist Lawrence F. Andrews. Andrews added detailed criteria for ideal occlusion beyond Angle’s molar-based categories.
Orthodontics: The dental specialty concerned with diagnosing and correcting irregular tooth positions and jaw relationships. Angle helped establish orthodontics as a distinct specialty.
Maxillary first molar: The first permanent molar in the upper jaw, typically erupting around age six. Angle used its position as a reference point in his classification.
Calvin S. Case: An American dentist and early orthodontist who emphasized facial aesthetics and treated severe malocclusion. Case’s approach challenged the extraction-free ideals associated with Angle.
Begg technique: An orthodontic treatment method using light forces and differential tooth movement, developed by Raymond Begg. Begg’s method arose in opposition to aspects of Angle’s treatment philosophy and mechanics.
American Society of Orthodontists: A professional organization founded in 1900 to advance orthodontics in the United States. Angle founded the organization to support the specialty he was building.
Angle Class I malocclusion: A malocclusion in which the first molars have a Class I relationship despite irregular tooth alignment. This category shows why Angle’s system can classify molar relationships separately from crowding.