T he following guidelines have been developed by the American Orthodontic Society (AOS) to assist with assessment of the quality of orthodontic care provided by its members. Credentialing is provided in AOS as a mechanism of assessing quality of treatment in order to serve the interests of patients, individual practitioners, the dental profession and any other interested parties. Orthodontics and Dento-facial Orthopedics is a division of dentistry that like other dental specialized areas may require the services of a specialist in only 10% of the dental population. The other 90% may be served by the generalist and pediatric in a recognized American Dental Association Certified Educational Program, which is provided by AOS. The AOS continuing education (CE) program of orthodontics prepares the clinician to possess advanced knowledge in biomedical, behavioral and basic sciences. It includes the biology of tooth movement, cephalometrics, orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning, familiarity with the potential needs of surgi-cal orthodontics, biomechanical principles, growth and development and its application to tooth movement, principles and application of orthopedic forces, patient motivation and behavioral management. The AOS has established credentialing to assess the quality of services rendered by members of the society. The concern of AOS extends to all those undergoing orthodontic care. Since the interests of the consuming public are best protected by high standards of care, a single level of review as applied to orthodontic treatment is expected regardless of the education and experiential qualification of the practitioner providing the service. It is the desire of the AOS Board of Diplomates that the presented guidelines will be helpful to its member-ship in the pursuit of AOS Diplomate Status. "The concern of AOS extends to all those undergoing orthodontic care. Since the interests of the consuming public are best protected by high standards of care, a single level of review as applied to orthodontic treatment is expected regardless of the education and experiential qualification of the practitioner providing the service." B. Patient Evaluation, Diagnosis and Treatment Objectives Patient evaluation is a process of synthesizing all relevant pretreatment information (reasonably available to the clinician at that time) into the diagnosis (single or multiple). Diagnosis is based upon determination of the dental, skeletal, neuromuscular, maturation, behav-ioral and other pertinent existing conditions. From the diagnosis and consideration of relevant records (see A above), optimal treatment objectives are developed. A. Pretreatment Diagnostic Records Quality assessment is dependent upon the existence of pre-treatment records. Adequate diagnostic records vary with the complexity of the presenting condition. They must be sufficient to identify the pretreatment orthodontic, dento-facial orthopedic and/or cran-iomandibular problems and enable the development of an acceptable course of treatment. Records taken in preparation for comprehensive orthodontic treatment should include the following: (These records are also recommended for most limited and adjuctive orthodontic procedures). ᕡ Patient and/or parent/guardian objectives ᕢ Medical/dental history ᕣ Clinical examination findings ᕤ Dental Casts/Study Models ᕥ Full face and profile photographs ᕦ Intraoral photographs ᕧ Lateral cephalometric radiograph w/ tracing ᕨ Complete intraoral or panoramic radiographic coverage *Other diagnostic material/data may be appropriate C. Treatment Plan and Modifications A treatment plan, developed prior to the initiation of therapy, is based upon the treatment objectives as modified by limiting factors. The patients (or parent’s/ guardian’s) objectives and attitudes should be taken into consideration when the plan is developed. Orthodontic treatment requires constant evaluation of treatment progress, tissue response, growth, as well as other limiting factors. Periodic review and reassessment may necessitate modification of the treatment objec-tives and the treatment plan. D. Communication of Treatment Related Information Adequate information should be presented at the start of treatment to the patient and/or responsible parties. This presentation should include, as appropri-ate, the review and consideration of the following: www.orthodontics.com Spring 2017 25
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Spring 2017: Page 25
