Clinical skills course, orthodontics

Orthodontics concerns the study of:

• development and growth of the head, face and jaws
• the development and function of dentition, jaws and craniofacial complex
• examination and diagnosis of growth, occlusion and eruption anomalies.

The academic content includes basic principles about diagnosis of error in the position of teeth and jaws, treatment needs and timing of treatment, prevention possibilities, effects of different types of various orthodontic appliances and indications and contra-indication for their use.

Knowledge

The candidate is able to explain:

• basic aspects of occlusion development and diagnosis of eruption anomalies.
• basic aspects of the need and indication for orthodontic treatment.
• when and how various types of malocclusions should be treated.
• basic aspects of the principles for orthodontic treatment at various ages, the mechanisms and effects of the fixed, removable and functional orthodontic appliances.
• basic aspects of the principles for the correction of defects in tooth- and jaw position in an interdisciplinary treatment, and principles of orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.

Skills

The candidate is able to:

• assess the need and timing as well as basic planning for orthodontic treatment.
• inform patients and parents/ guardians about the need (if there is one) for orthodontic treatment and what the treatment involves.
• refer patients with treatment needs to an orthodontic specialist and communicate and collaborate with the specialist about the treatment.
• prevent the development of local teeth defects and initiate treatment to break habits that have diverse effects on the development of the patient's occlusion.
• carry out basic cephalometric analysis, analysis of study models and planning of basic, orthodontic treatment with simple appliances.

General qualifications

The candidate is be able to:

• identify growth-, eruption- and occlusal anomalies and inform about orthodontic treatment needs (if there is one).
• explain problems of malocclusions, the impact of treatment (or no treatment) and inform the patient and/or parents/ guardians about the social security benefits associated with orthodontic treatment.
• explain the principle of the treatment of various types of malocclusions and of orthodontic treatment with different orthodontic appliances and approaches.