Comparison of treatment management between orthodontists and general practitioners performing clear aligner therapy

Abstract

COMPARISON OF TREATMENT MANAGEMENT BETWEEN ORTHODONTISTS AND GENERAL PRACTITIONERS PERFORMING CLEAR ALIGNER THERAPY By Alexandra Damerau Best, D.M.D. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016 Thesis Director: Bhavna Shroff, D.M.D., M.Dent.Sc., MPA Program Director, Department of Orthodontics The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in case confidence, treatment management, and Invisalign® expertise between orthodontists and general dentists. A survey was mailed to 1,000 randomly selected orthodontists and general dentists, respectively, who are Invisalign® providers, and results were analyzed. The results indicated that orthodontists treated significantly more Invisalign® cases and received more Invisalign® training than general dentists (P<0.0001). After adjusting for experience (years in practice, hours of training, total number of cases treated), there were significant differences in confidence for 4 of the 6 cases (P≤0.0019). There was no difference in the use of IPR between groups. However, significant differences were found for the remaining treatment management techniques. In particular, orthodontists were significantly more likely to prescribe Class II elastics, to use a combination of fixed appliances and Invisalign®, and to believe that a greater percentage of their cases would have had better outcomes if treated with conventional braces (P<0.0001). In conclusion, orthodontists and general dentists are electing to treat a variety of malocclusions with Invisalign® with similar confidence, but different utilization of recommended auxiliaries.