Changes in orthodontic care patterns in a predoctoral children's dentistry clinic.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in orthodontic care patterns over a sixteen-year period in a university clinical setting. The average numbers of students, clinical procedures, and orthodontic appliances were examined from the time period 1988-2003. Appliance number and type were evaluated as a function of increased predoctoral and postdoctoral class sizes, student to faculty ratios, and decreased operating budgets for faculty recruitment. For the period 1988-98, the insertion of orthodontic appliances by dental students remained constant. A permanent increase in the predoctoral class size occurred in 1996 without an increase in faculty support, contributing to a decline in appliance insertions by students from 1999 to 2003. This time period also saw major increases in the postdoctoral class size and a reorganization of the clinical facility that then began to require the pairing of dental students to provide comprehensive care, thus decreasing their clinical exposure to the care of children. The overall clinical experience at the predoctoral level in orthodontic procedures declined, which resulted in a change in clinical requirements and new methods to ensure clinical competency.