The Consultant Orthodontists Group Survey of Hospital Waiting Lists and Treated Cases

A questionnaire sent to all U.K. hospital orthodontic consultants resulted in an 88 per cent response rate. The average waiting time for initial consultation was 31·6 weeks for routine cases and 3·6 weeks for urgent cases. The average waiting time for out patient treatment was 68·7 weeks for routine cases and 7·5 weeks for urgent cases. Nearly 33 per cent of hospitals used the Dental Health Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment need (IOTN) as a guide to placing patients on waiting lists. ‘Urgency’ and ‘Complexity’ were used more frequently than indices. Sixty-nine per cent of hospitals exclude some categories of malocclusion from treatment in their departments.

A prospective survey reported on 2480 completed treatments over a six week period and there was an average discontinuation rate of 9·2 per cent of all cases finished during the period. Comparison of the completed and discontinued groups revealed few significant treatment-related factors. There was some evidence that the more senior and experienced the operator, the less the rate of discontinuation. A greater rate of discontinuation was seen in removable appliance cases when compared with fixed appliance cases.