Giant panda Beixia undergoes world's first successful orthodontic treatment

A medical team from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and West China School of Stomatology has successfully completed the world’s first orthodontic treatment for a giant panda. The patient, a male panda named ‘Beixia’, suffered from severe mandibular asymmetry due to early childhood trauma and a limb amputation shortly after birth.

Because invasive surgery was deemed too risky for a giant panda, doctors utilized a non-invasive approach. This involved using oral scanners to create 3D-printed custom fixed appliances combined with elastic rubber bands to guide jaw growth. The treatment lasted six months, during which veterinarians and keepers provided intensive care to ensure the panda did not swallow the orthodontic components.

The procedure successfully corrected the jaw misalignment, restoring Beixia’s ability to suckle, chew, and swallow normally. The case, which was published in the international journal ‘The Angle Orthodontist’, represents a significant milestone in cross-disciplinary wildlife medicine and functional orthopedic guidance for large animals.