Orthodontic auxiliaries--a pilot project

To undertake a pilot study to determine a possible training programme for orthodontic auxiliaries.

Trainee hygienists who had been accepted onto a 2-year programme were asked to attend the Bristol Dental School well before their course was due to begin in order to participate in a pilot orthodontic assistant auxiliary training programme.

A modular course of one month's duration was constructed based on the programme at the University of British Columbia. This aimed to teach skills such as impression taking, bond placement, debracketing, band cementation as well as core knowledge relevant to these procedures.

At the end of the course all participants were judged to be performing the tasks they had been taught competently and safely.

UK dental nurses can be trained to fill the role of an orthodontic auxiliary. It would appear that an introductory clinical skills course of one week followed by an orthodontic skills training of three weeks is sufficient for a qualified dental nurse of above average abilities such as typifies those who are currently applying for places on UK dental hygiene courses. It is estimated that a further period of nine months supervised training will be necessary for those who have successfully completed such a training to develop clinically useful speeds when delivering these skills.