A survey on orthodontic-restorative dental services in a NHS hospital.

The provision of a joint orthodontic-restorative hospital service is important in providing a quality service for some dental malocclusions. A prospective survey was carried out of the joint orthodontic-restorative clinic at Mayday University Hospital, during the months of January to August 2005. Data was collected using a data collection form. In total 61 patient's attended 4 joint clinics. Fifty per cent of referrals were by general dental practitioners. The commonest referral reasons were spacing and dental trauma. Over one third of patients were seen within 12 weeks of their referral, whilst two thirds start their treatment within 12 weeks of consultation. The commonest restorative treatment was periodontal therapy, crown and bridgework. Over one third of patients required joint orthodontic and restorative treatment. More than 12% of patients require oral surgery in the form of removal of impacted teeth, exposure of unerupted teeth, placement of bone anchors or orthognathic surgery. Consultation and treatment waiting times could be reduced by the introduction of more clinics and employment of more staff A representative in oral surgery maybe useful with the increase use of bone anchors and mini implants to aid joint orthodontic-restorative treatment. Access to an orthodontic and restorative consultant clinic is useful in providing patients with a high quality of multidisciplinary treatment planning in an efficient manner.