Information provision for orthognathic treatment by consultant orthodontists in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland: A questionnaire-based study

TL;DR

This study explores how UK and Ireland orthodontists provide information to patients about jaw surgery, aiming to improve decision-making tools.

Contribution

The study identifies commonly used resources and routinely discussed risks and benefits in orthognathic treatment information provision.

Findings

All respondents reported patients attend an MDT clinic before treatment.

The BOS 'Your Jaw Surgery' resource is most commonly used.

Commonly discussed benefits include improved occlusion and aesthetics.

Abstract

The aim of this research was to carry out a study of consultant orthodontists in the United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland (RoI), exploring the information provision for patients both considering and undergoing orthognathic treatment to help inform the development of decision support tools.

A questionnaire-based study of consultant orthodontists in the UK and RoI through the British Orthodontic Society (BOS) Consultant Orthodontist Group.

Data collected using an online survey platform (Qualtrics® XM).

A final sample of 56 respondents was achieved with an estimated response rate of 28%. All respondents (100%) said their patients routinely attended an orthognathic multidisciplinary team (MDT) clinic before commencing any active treatment. The majority (98.21%) of respondents said they utilised nationally available resources produced by the BOS, with the most commonly used resource being the BOS ‘Your Jaw Surgery’ online resource. When considering the benefits of treatment that were routinely discussed, the three most commonly selected responses were improvement in occlusion (92.86%), improvement in facial aesthetics (91.07%) and improvement in dental aesthetics (83.93%). There were nine orthodontic risks that were routinely discussed by more than 90% of respondents, including pain and discomfort, duration of treatment and long-term commitment to retainer wear, alongside 11 surgical risks, including permanent and temporary paraesthesia or dysaesthesia of the lips/chin/tongue, and postoperative pain.

From the responses received, patients considering orthognathic treatment routinely attend an orthognathic MDT clinic before commencing active treatment. Information is provided with nationally available resources and consultant orthodontists routinely discuss risks and benefits of the orthodontic and surgical treatment with prospective patients to help them make informed decisions regarding their care.

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