[Collaboration between general practitioners and orthodontists]

The orthodontic service in Norway is mainly performed in private practices. However, in Oppland county, in the eastern part of Norway, there are several public orthodontic clinics. Financial support for orthodontic treatment is minimal whether carried out by private or public orthodontists. The public dentist has the main responsibility for diagnosing. The present study was conducted to examine the collaboration between general public dentists and orthodontists in Oppland county. The study was based on telephone interviews with 48 dentists. More than 90% of the dentists claimed that the orthodontic services in their district was sufficient. 81% felt that there was no orthodontic overtreatment. Written contact with the orthodontist was more common than oral communication (telephone). 31% of the dentists had weekly contact with the orthodontist, and 50% had monthly contact with the orthodontist. One third of the dentists expressed a desire for regular meetings with the orthodontist. Nearly two-thirds of the dentists preferred the orthodontist having the responsibility of diagnosing malocclusions. 81% were well satisfied with the treatment results. 63% rarely observed adverse effects of orthodontic treatment. The most common indications for recommending orthodontic treatment were functional disorders and prophylactic measures, and 65% considered the esthetic aspect of a malocclusion less important when referring a patient to an orthodontist. 62% felt that the financial support for orthodontic treatment in Norway today was unsatisfactory. 42% of those interviewed were of the opinion, that orthodontic services should be free, whereas 54% thought that orthodontic services should be only partly subsidized.