THE PROVISION OF ORTHODONTIC SERVICES BY GENERAL DENTAL PRACTITIONERS.1. METHODS AND DESCRIPTIVE RESULTS

Information regarding orthodontic service provision by general dental practitioners in Australia is limited. The aim of this survey was to d etermine the amount and variety of orthodontic services provided by ge neral dental practitioners in the Melbourne Statistical Division, Vict oria, Australia. A random sample of 307 dentists drawn from the Victor ian Dentists Register was surveyed by mailed questionnaire: 218 (71%) replied. Data were collected using a fortnight log. During this time 5 9 per cent of the dentists saw at least one orthodontic patient; one d entist saw 66 orthodontic patients. Removable orthodontic appliances w ere used by 35 per cent of the dentists and fixed orthodontic applianc es by 18 per cent. Twenty-six per cent provided comprehensive orthodon tic treatment, 22 per cent aligned incisors, and 21 per cent corrected anterior crossbites. The general dental practitioners surveyed provid ed a wide range of preventive and interceptive orthodontic services to generally a small percentage of their patients.