Department of Surgery, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Stadium Road, P.O Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan.
BMC Oral Health. 2024 Jul 30;24(1):863. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-04593-z.
In orthodontics, the triage system is used to assess the preadolescents to rule out interventions needed earlier and to assess the nature of orthodontic problems as complex or moderate. The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and awareness of orthodontic triage and its uses among dental healthcare professionals (DHCP).
A triage awareness questionnaire (TAQ) was formulated and validated as reliable by a panel of five orthodontic specialists which was then circulated online among 400 DHCP. The questionnaire consisted of nine sections that assessed the current knowledge and usage of orthodontic triage among the dental community. Frequencies and percentages were reported for all categorical variables. Chi-square was used to assess the association among the variables.
The response rate was 28.2% with the majority of participants being general dentists. Regarding the knowledge and use of triage, 40% of DHCP were only familiar with the word "orthodontic triage" while being unaware of how it works and 79% denied using orthodontic triage. Regarding the management of anomalies, 42% of DHCP preferred extraction as the management of supernumerary teeth (p = 0.013). Practitioners belonging to private setups performed visual inspection in growing patients for assessment of their facial features (p = 0.012). Clinicians with more than one year of experience referred young patients to orthodontic specialists for the management of crossbite (p = 0.024). Younger clinicians (25-35 years) with more than one year of experience referred adult patients to orthodontists for correction of their unesthetic smile (p = 0.013).
This paper provides foundational data for the development of future policies and protocols supporting structured, evidence-based approaches to patient management via use of orthodontic triage. This study underscores the importance of targeted educational interventions to enhance understanding and implementation of orthodontic triage principles in clinical practice. Further probing is necessary to discern the disparity between understanding the orthodontic triage and effective employment of its components among practicing dental healthcare professionals.
在正畸学中，分诊系统用于评估青少年，以排除早期需要的干预措施，并评估正畸问题的性质是复杂还是中度。本研究的目的是确定牙科保健专业人员（DHCP）对正畸分诊的知识和认识及其用途。
制定了分诊意识问卷（TAQ），并由五名正畸专家组成的小组进行了可靠性验证，然后在线分发给 400 名 DHCP。问卷由九个部分组成，评估了牙科社区中正畸分诊的当前知识和使用情况。所有分类变量均报告频率和百分比。使用卡方检验评估变量之间的关联。
回复率为 28.2%，大多数参与者为普通牙医。关于分诊的知识和使用，40%的 DHCP 仅熟悉“正畸分诊”一词，而不知道其工作原理，79%的人否认使用正畸分诊。关于异常的管理，42%的 DHCP 更喜欢拔牙作为多生牙的处理方法（p=0.013）。私人诊所的从业者在生长中的患者中进行目视检查，以评估他们的面部特征（p=0.012）。有一年以上经验的临床医生将年轻患者转诊给正畸专家治疗反颌（p=0.024）。有一年以上经验的年轻（25-35 岁）临床医生将成年患者转诊给正畸医生矫正他们不美观的笑容（p=0.013）。
本文为制定未来政策和协议提供了基础数据，这些政策和协议通过使用正畸分诊支持对患者管理的结构化、基于证据的方法。本研究强调了开展有针对性的教育干预的重要性，以提高对正畸分诊原则的理解，并在临床实践中实施这些原则。有必要进一步探究在实践中的牙科保健专业人员中，理解正畸分诊和有效运用其组成部分之间的差距。
