Evaluation of treatment outcomes in a graduate Orthodontic Clinic at Wits using the Abo Cast and radiographic examination

Abstract

Background: Every orthodontist has a signature on the treatment that he/she provides to his/her patients. Treatment outcomes have been evaluated in a variety of ways, some of which have been considered to be ideal for teaching programs. This has not been done at Wits, which is the purpose of this study. Objectives: To evaluate the treatment outcomes of patients treated in the graduate orthodontics programme at Wits with respect to the registrars and consultants who managed the cases. Material and Methods: The post-treatment study casts and radiographs of patients treated by the graduating class of 2015 at Wits were evaluated using the ABO Cast and Radiographic Examination score (CRE). The scores were categorized into four groups: less than or equal (LE) to 20; greater than (GT) 20 but LE 25; GT 25 but LE 30; and CRE GT 30. Frequency data analysis were employed to assess the data. Trend tests were applied to establish the presence of a pattern, if any, with respect to time of graduation of the Consultants, the place of their training and treatment outcomes. Results: A total of 105 records met the requisite criteria with 54 records coming from two registrars and the remaining 51 from a third. Only five records had a score GT25 and were excluded as outliers. Seventy six of the records scored LE20 and 24 recorded CRE scores of GT20 but LE25. The GLM procedure showed significant differences in the scores of the three registrars (p=0.002). The Scheffe test found that two registrars received exactly the same score while the third had a significantly lower score. The LSMeans were 14.26, 17.23 and 17.92. No significant differences could be established among the consultants. Conclusion: All the registrars provided excellent treatment since 76% of the cases scored LT20. The treatment supervision provided by the consultants was consistent as there were no significant differences between their scores.