Kaare Reitan

Kaare Reitan (8 August 1903 – 8 October 2000) was a Norwegian orthodontist who was instrumental in introducing through his histological research experiments the responses of tissues to orthodontic tooth movement. His experiments set a foundation for future research on the effects on surrounding tissues of teeth by the mechanical forces of orthodontics. He was a recipient of Albert H. Ketcham Award.

Life He was born in Andebu, Norway. He then traveled to Paris to study linguistics and dentistry. He completed his dental degree in 1928 from a dental school there. He then started working in Sandefjord as a dentist. He then traveled to US and enrolled himself at the Northwestern University in Chicago in 1937. He completed his orthodontics and received his Masters there in 1939. He then started working under Dr. William Skillen and Balint Orban for the histological research. Later he returned to Norway in 1940 and practiced Orthodontics.

Orthodontics In 1946, he investigated the morphology of tissue changes and presented his thesis in 1951 called "The initial tissue reaction incident to orthodontic tooth movement as related to the influence of function". He worked on dogs on his experiment. His research was key in distinguishing the tissue response difference between animals and humans.

He published over 50 papers and has contributed to many chapters of orthodontic textbooks.

Awards and recognition John Valentine Mershon Lecturer - 1966 Prix George Villain - 1967 Albert H. Ketcham Award - 1976 Honorary member of Danish and Norwegian Orthodontic Societies - 1972 Honorary Doctorate from University of Gothenburg and University of Bergen