An audit of 'early debond' cases in the national outcomes audit of patients treated with upper and lower fixed appliances by Consultant Orthodontists in the UK.
OBJECTIVE
To audit the outcomes of the 'early debond' cohort of the national outcomes audit carried out by the Consultant Orthodontic Group of the British Orthodontic Society.


METHODS
Multi-centre, retrospective national audit.


METHODS
Seventy-five per cent of cases should exhibit a reduction in PAR greater than 70% with 3% or less with a PAR score reduction of less than 30% (i.e. worse/no different).


METHODS
Analysis of consecutively completed cases treated by upper and lower fixed appliances that were noted by the operator as having discontinued treatment early.


METHODS
Incidence of early debond, PAR outcome.


RESULTS
The 'early debond' cohort constituted 11% of the total 823 patients and fell below previously published standards for orthodontic treatment outcomes. They were less likely to be in the 'greatly improved' category, more likely to be in the 'improved' category and only slightly more likely to be in the 'worse/no different' category. There was a 67% reduction in PAR and 50% exhibited a reduction in PAR greater than 70%, with 6.5% having a reduction in PAR score lower than 30%.


CONCLUSIONS
Discontinuation of orthodontic treatment is associated with a reduced level of treatment outcome.
McMullan
R E
RE
Department of Orthodontics, Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry, Northern Ireland. rmcmullan@alt.n-i.nhs.uk
D001294:Attitude to Health; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019230:Dental Audit; D017005:Dental Debonding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009967:Orthodontic Appliances; D009970:Orthodontics; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000295:instrumentation; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018024:Peer Review, Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D006113:United Kingdom