The influence of orthodontist change on treatment duration and outcomes in patients treated with Clark's twin block appliance followed by non-extraction fixed mechanotherapy - a retrospective cohort study

Document Type

Article

Department

Dental-oral, Maxillo-facial Surgery; Surgery

Abstract

Background: Post-graduate resident turnover in public and teaching hospital orthodontic clinics often leads to challenges in maintaining the same level of efficacy when a care provider changes during orthodontic treatment. This retrospective cohort study aimed to compare the duration and quality of treatment outcomes between two patient groups: the transfer group, who underwent orthodontic care from multiple residents, and the non-transfer group, whose entire treatment was overseen by a single resident.
Methods: Sixty-six patients were enrolled and equally divided into transfer and non-transfer groups. Orthodontic treatment in both groups was completed with Clark's twin block appliance followed by non-extraction fixed mechanotherapy. Their pre- and post-treatment dental casts and panoramic radiographs were used to evaluate the quality of treatment outcomes utilizing the American Board of Orthodontics Cast-Radiograph Evaluation (ABO-CRE) and Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) indices. Mann-Whitney U test was used to assess the treatment time and quality between the two groups.
Results: There was an insignificant difference in the post-treatment outcomes between the two groups as evaluated by ABO-CRE (p = 0.691) and PAR (p = 0.926). The Shapiro-Wilk test revealed a non-normal distribution of the variables. In both the transfer and control groups, the mean and standard deviation of the duration of treatment were 56.12 ± 19.68 months and 35.09 ± 6.94 months, respectively.
Conclusions: Transferred patients had more visits and longer treatment duration, yet treatment quality remained comparable to the control group despite the extended duration in transfers.

Publication (Name of Journal)

BMC Oral Health

DOI

doi.org/10.1186/s12903-024-05351-x

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