In this100th anniversary year of the AJO-DO , there have been memorial articles for the milestone steps in orthodontics. One poster, “100 years of publishing, 100 people of influence,” mentioned 100 people who made their footprint in orthodontics. However, a “101st” man, although not an orthodontist, changed the history of orthodontics and should also be remembered: Dr Michael Buonocore.

This year marks not only the 100th anniversary of the Journal , but also the 60th year since Buonocore published his well-known article, “A simple method of increasing the adhesion of acrylic filling materials to enamel surfaces.” The article was only 5 pages long with 2 tables and 6 references, yet it has been cited 1129 times and is still the number 1 most-cited article in dentistry (according to Web of Science). His discovery of the acid-etch technique started the era of adhesion, which not only is important for orthodontic practice, but also essential for many general dental procedures. His work changed orthodontic bonding but was not even mentioned in the Centennial Special Article describing the evolution of bonding!

Dr Michael Buonocore passed away more than 3 decades ago, yet his name ought to be remembered by orthodontists for his tremendous contribution.