Update of guidance on supervision of orthodontic therapists

More than 400 OTs have been trained and entered the orthodontic workforce in the last ten years and the number of OTs qualifying annually now exceeds the number of orthodontists completing postgraduate training.

The guidance is important to support the way that orthodontic teams operate in the workplace and also to underpin the training of both orthodontists and OTs. As the OT role has become more established, it’s increasingly important for the guidance to help team members work both safely and in the most efficient way possible.

The key issue, said Simon Littlewood, a member of the working party responsible for updating the guidance and an orthodontic consultant, is that the OT must work to the prescription of an orthodontist.

He said the prescription could be a verbal one or, if the orthodontist could not be present, there could be a detailed prescription in the patient’s notes. The patient should never go for more than one appointment without seeing the orthodontist.