An audit of 'early debond' cases in the national outcomes audit of patients treated with upper and lower fixed appliances by Consultant Orthodontists in the UK

Objective: To audit the outcomes of the 'early debond' cohort of the national outcomes audit carried out by the Consultant Orthodontic Group of the British Orthodontic Society. Design: Multi-centre, retrospective national audit. Standards: Seventy-five per cent of cases should exhibit a reduction in PAR greater than 70% with 3% or less with a PAR score reduction of less than 30% (i.e. worse/no different). Method: Analysis of consecutively completed cases treated by upper and lower fixed appliances that were noted by the operator as having discontinued treatment early. Main outcome measures: Incidence of early debond, PAR outcome. Results: The 'early debond' cohort constituted 11% of the total 823 patients and fell below previously published standards for orthodontic treatment outcomes. They were less likely to be in the 'greatly improved' category, more likely to be in the 'improved' category and only slightly more likely to be in the 'worse/no different' category. There was a 67% reduction in PAR and 50% exhibited a reduction in PAR greater than 70%, with 6.5% having a reduction in PAR score lower than 30%. Conclusion: Discontinuation of orthodontic treatment is associated with a reduced level of treatment outcome.