References

Stephens CD, Harradine NWT. Changes in the complexity of orthodontic treatment for patients referred to a teaching hospital. Br J Orthod. 1988; 15:27-32
Bain S, Lee W, Day CJ, Ireland AJ, Sandy JR. Orthodontic therapists – the first Bristol cohort. Br Dent J. 2009; 207:227-230
Hodge T, Parkin N. ‘Who does what’ in the orthodontic workforce. Br Dent J. 2015; 218:191-195
General Dental Council. Scope of Practice. 2013. http://www.gdc-uk.org/Newsandpublications/Publications/Publications/Scope%20of%20Practice%20September%202013.pdf (Accessed February 2017)
Robinson PG, Willmot DR, Parkin NA, Hall AC. Report of the Orthodontic Workforce Survey of the United Kingdom February 2005.Sheffield: University of Sheffield; 2005
Hodge T, Scott P, Thickett E. Orthodontic therapists and their integration into the orthodontic team. Ortho Update. 2015; 8:14-17
Hodge T, Parkin N. The twenty-first century orthodontic workforce. BDJ Team. 2015; 1
British Orthodontic Society and Orthodontic National Group. Guidelines on Supervision of Orthodontic Therapists. 2012. http://www.bos.org.uk/Portals/0/Public/docs/General%20Guidance/GuidelinesonSupervisionofOrthodonticTherapistsApril2017.pdf (Accessed April 2017)
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How Orthodontic Therapists have Changed the Provision of Orthodontic Treatment

From Volume 45, Issue 10, November 2018 | Pages 947-951

Authors

Sarah Ainscough

BDS, MJDF

Dental Core Trainee 2 in Paediatric and Special Care Dentistry, Leeds Dental Institute, Clarendon Way, Leeds LS2 9LU

Articles by Sarah Ainscough

Dai Roberts-Harry

BDS, FDS, DOrth, MSc, MOrth, FDS(Orth)

Specialist Orthodontist, The Roberts-Harry Dental Clinic, East Parade, Harrogate HG1 5LB

Articles by Dai Roberts-Harry

Andrew Shelton

BDS, MFDS RCS(Ed), MDentSci, MOrth RCS(Ed), FDS RCS(Eng),

Consultant Orthodontist, Montagu Hospital, Doncaster S64 OAZ

Articles by Andrew Shelton

Simon Littlewood

BDS, FDS, MOrth, MDentSci, FDS(Orth)

Consultant Orthodontist, St Luke's Hospital, Little Horton Lane, Bradford BD5 0NA

Articles by Simon Littlewood

Trevor Hodge

BDS, MFDS RCS(Ed), MOrth RCS(Ed), MPhil(Orth), FDS(Orth)RCS(Ed), FDS RCS(Eng), FHEA,

Consultant Orthodontist, Leeds Dental Institute, Clarendon Way, Leeds LS2 9LU, UK

Articles by Trevor Hodge

Abstract

The last decade has seen the orthodontic workforce transformed by the introduction of orthodontic therapists. This article aims to highlight how they have changed the provision of orthodontic treatment and how the orthodontic profession has caught up with general dentistry where task delegation to dental therapists and hygienists has been commonplace for many years.

CPD/Clinical Relevance: This article will enable readers to see just what roles OTs undertake, increase their awareness of who may be undertaking the treatment on the patients they refer on and highlight the guidelines on appropriate supervision that their referring orthodontists should be following.

Article

By 2007, changes to the Dentist Act meant that the General Dental Council (GDC) permitted the training of Orthodontic Therapists (OTs). Therefore, at this time, the first courses began training this grade of Dental Care Professional (DCP).

The introduction of OTs was in response to a high level of orthodontic treatment need within the UK (estimated at 50% of 11-year-olds requiring orthodontic treatment1) but a poor orthodontist to patient ratio. Discussions about the role of OTs, initially known as orthodontic auxiliaries, began as early as 1973. A pilot study was conducted at Bristol Dental School in the mid-nineties where dental nurses undertook a four-week training programme, which taught a range of appropriate orthodontic skills. At the end of this pilot, it was found that the students not only had a high level of clinical and theoretical knowledge, but that they also had practical abilities that were closer to orthodontic postgraduate students and thus far surpassed the course organisers' expectations.2 The foundations of the training programme for OTs were based on this pilot study and, in 2017, 10 years after the first orthodontic therapist courses started, there were more than 500 orthodontic therapists registered with the GDC in the UK. Typically, courses leading to registration are one year in length and comprise two parts – an initial 4–week core course with additional study days throughout the year based at the training centre, and workplace training in an approved orthodontic practice or hospital orthodontic practice. After completion of the course, including satisfactory workplace reports, success in formative assessments, etc, the student can apply to sit the Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy examination. The minimum requirements stated by the General Dental Council are that the student can be a dental nurse with a recognized qualification, a qualified dental hygienist or dental therapist, or a dental technician with appropriate clinical experience. The local trainer must be on the orthodontic specialist list.

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