To evaluate the influence of the lateral cephalometric radiograph on orthodontists’ diagnosis and treatment planning decisions.
Five patients with full pre-treatment records were selected to represent a spectrum of malocclusions. The records were provided in a web-based questionnaire emailed to 510 Australian registered orthodontists. Participants were asked to formulate a diagnosis and treatment plan for a randomised patient case. The control group received a lateral cephalometric radiograph whilst the intervention group did not. The two groups’ diagnostic accuracy was determined by a comparison with the formative diagnoses determined by five senior academic orthodontists. Their diagnosis and treatment planning decisions were also compared.
A comparison of the orthodontists’ diagnoses revealed that the lateral cephalometric radiograph did not lead to an increase in the assessment accuracy of dental (
Lateral cephalometric radiographs did not significantly influence orthodontists’ diagnosis. There was also little evidence to demonstrate the radiograph’s efficacy in treatment planning cases with no skeletal discrepancy or no significant labiolingual incisor movement planned.