Assessment of referral complexity and case acceptance for NHS hospital orthodontic treatment

摘要

Although there is evidence for the benefits of orthodontic services for many patients, NHS England is required to ration commissioning of orthodontic services to those it would help most. Orthodontic clinicians have used the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) since 19891 to standardise and objectively assess malocclusions in a systematic manner, enabling patients who would benefit from orthodontic service provision to be treated.In the primary care setting, only those patients under the age of 18 years with an IOTN of 3.6 (dental health component = 3, aesthetic component = 6) or greater are eligible for NHS orthodontic services. In secondary care, only those with IOTN of grade 4 or 5 and requiring multidisciplinary care are accepted for treatment.