Undergraduate and continuing education in orthodontics: a view into the 1990s

It has been projected that up to 40 per cent of clinical practice undertaken by general dentists in major cities in Canada may involve some type of orthodontic therapy by the mid-1990s. This major shift has already started and the University of British Columbia has begun to update its curriculum accordingly. Concomitant with a decrease in demand for two year postgraduate education courses and a reduced need for the control of decay, academic programmes across Canada are experiencing an increased demand for more extensive orthodontic education by both undergraduate dental students and general practitioners. Current practice trends indicate that more orthodontics is undertaken by general practitioners and that fewer orthodontists are being trained. The Department of Orthodontics at the University of British Columbia utilizes the Dental Performance Simulation System (J. Morita Corp., Japan) for preclinical training in straight-wire edgewise techniques. In their second year, students fit and cement bands, bond brackets, ligate archwires and fit and adjust headgears on the Simulation System. Two years of clinical sessions (3 hours/week) follow this preclinical training. By carefully selecting only Class I non-extraction cases that can be completed ideally in eight months or less of active edgewise therapy, a realistic generalist/specialist division of labour has been developed. To fully meet the anticipated general practice orthodontic demands in the 1990s, undergraduate academic programmes must be prepared to significantly alter current overall curriculum objectives.