Two Years' Basic Specialty Training in Orthodontics: The British Prospect in 1975 *

In this paper the author acknowledges the importance to the aspirant specialist orthodontist of a 2-year period of basic specialty training, whether the orthodontist is going into an academic post, the hospital consultant service or whether he is going to limit his practice to orthodontics within the general dental services. He discusses the need to complete a period of general training in dentistry before going on to a 2-year course of training in orthodontics. This type of training should be given at a limited number of centres in university departments. During this extended period of basic specialty training the graduate is often under financial pressure. The need to pay the graduates who spend half of their time in a service role is stressed. The author discusses why Britain is moving into a situation in which in orthodontic training it is internationally in a minority of one and considers the dento-political background which has led to this. He is hopeful but pessimistic about the possibility of change.