A four-year review of orthodontic cases appearing before the General Dental Council Professional Conduct Committee

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the characteristics of orthodontic cases at the General Dental Council’s (GDC) Professional Conduct Committee (PCC). Design: Review of data from the GDC website for orthodontically related hearings or those involving orthodontic treatment providers during 2015–2018. Setting: Observational descriptive study. Methods: Data were accessed from the GDC website by a single researcher to retrieve orthodontic cases. The press office of the GDC was contacted to ensure all data were captured. For each case that met the inclusion criteria, demographic details of the registrant, the charges proved/not proved and final outcome of the case were recorded. Results: A total of 23 registrant cases involved orthodontics and this was 8% of the total number of PCC hearings during 2015–2018. Nine (39%) of the registrants had a Membership in Orthodontics qualification although only 7 (30%) were registered as orthodontists on the UK GDC Specialist List in Orthodontics. Charges related to clinical assessment, consent and record keeping were mostly proved for dentists (13/16 hearings for each) whereas a poor standard of treatment and not cooperating with the GDC were mostly proved for orthodontists (4/7 hearings for each). Overall, conditions were imposed in 10 (44%) cases, erasure in 7 (30%) cases, suspension in 5 (22%) cases and a reprimand in 1 (4%) case. Conclusion: The GDC continue to view misdemeanours seriously and it would be prudent for registrants to be familiar with the nature of these hearings to reduce the risk of finding themselves in such a predicament.