Best practice guidance document from the British Orthodontic Society and the Orthodontic National Group - published 2017
Orthodontic Therapists (OT) are a relatively recent addition to the range of Dental Care Professionals but have already proved to be valuable members of the dental team and following a prescription, are permitted to undertake reversible orthodontic procedures. The first OT’s qualified in 2007 having undertaken courses approved by the GDC and with adherence to the principles set out in the GDC - Developing the Dental Team document (2004). This document has been superseded by later publications of the GDC including the revisedDeveloping the Dental Team (2009), which specified the learning outcomes for DCPs, and theScope of Practice (2009). It is within the GDC Learning Outcomes document that the specific capabilities of all divisions of DCPs are listed.
It is the professional responsibility of dental team leaders and OT’s to be aware of what constitutes good, ethical clinical practice and follow these principles in their care of patients. The skills of an OT are defined, as for all registered groups, by the GDC and these explicitly state what a therapist can and cannot do. As the practice of Orthodontics develops it is appropriate that the roles and responsibilities of individual OT’s will also evolve and change.1
The purpose of this guidance document from the British Orthodontic Society and the Orthodontic National Group is to provide guidance on best practice in this area so OTs are not asked to act outside their competency and to ensure that patients receive the best standard of care and treatment possible.