ACTIVE ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT DURING COVID-19
Australian Society of Orthodontists Inc, Recommendations to specialist practitioners, August 6 2020
“Orthodontics involves placing forces on the teeth to move them through the jaws. These forces are continuous and must be regularly monitored and modified to prevent loss of anchorage, moving the teeth too far in the wrong direction or out of the bony sub-structure. If left unchecked or unmodified for prolonged periods, active orthodontic appliances have the potential to cause significant iatrogenic damage to the teeth and surrounding gingival tissues or at the very least, leave the patient with sub-optimal occlusal and/or aesthetic treatment outcomes. The longer the interval between regular appliance adjustment appointments, the more risk there is of treatment complications or iatrogenic harm. This also raises medico-legal concerns for orthodontic practitioners.”
“At some point under prolonged Level 3 restrictions, orthodontists will need to see all active patients for adjustments to orthodontic appliances in order to progress treatment and mitigate the risk of irreversible damage to a person’s bite, and to individual teeth and the surrounding periodontium. This will vary from patient to patient and the each orthodontist must use their clinical judgement to determine this need on a case by case basis. While monitoring of tooth movement and triaging of patients can sometimes be done remotely via AI technology and Teledentistry means, any force modification procedure (for example, changing an archwire or elastomeric chain) must still be done in person.”
“The ASO encourages orthodontists making treatment decisions to consider all factors and exercise their clinical judgment based on their own education, experience and any unique patient specific factors. Your professional judgement is required to continue to protect yourself, your team members, your patients and the general community during this pandemic.”
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