Interceptive orthodontic practices in general dentistry: a cross-sectional study
Published Online: Jul 20, 2021
Page range: 152 - 157
Received: Feb 01, 2019
Accepted: Jul 01, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/aoj-2020-044
© 2019 Scott Derek Currell et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Objectives
To evaluate the current practice of interceptive orthodontics undertaken by general dental practitioners and identify influencing factors.
Materials and methods
Printed questionnaires were provided to 200 registered Australian general dental practitioners. Participants were questioned about their current confidence, attitudes, and practice, related to interceptive orthodontics in general dentistry.
Results
The decision to practise interceptive orthodontics (17.4% of respondents) was strongly dependent on the confidence of the dentist (x2 = 48.693; df = 4;
Conclusions
Interceptive orthodontics was not practised by most dentists. This decision was shown to be influenced by the clinicians’ confidence, further education or training, perceived importance of interceptive orthodontics and the impact that early intervention might have on future orthodontic treatment. Consideration should also be given to clarifying the orthodontic scope of practice for general dentists, in order to reduce the confusion influencing the provision of orthodontic care.