Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of evidence on the long-term health and functional outcomes of orthodontic treatment involving the extraction of healthy premolar teeth.
Answer
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 7 September in response to Questions 19469 and 19470 , which sets out our approach to concerns about longer term impacts of orthodontic treatments. No central records are held of incidents relating to patients raising concerns about suffering from long-term complications following orthodontic treatment. Responsibility for commissioning specialised orthodontic services is delegated to integrated care boards, supported by guidance on standards for treatments. These include Clinical standards for dental specialties – orthodontics, published by NHS England, and the Peer Assessment Rating Index, published by the British Orthodontic Society. The documents are available at the following links: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-standards-for-dental-specialties-orthodontics/ https://bos.org.uk/professionals-members/the-peer-assessment-rating-par-index/
Verdict: RED (18/100)
The question asked whether the Department considers the evidence on the long-term outcomes of extracting healthy premolars to be adequate. The reply only partly responds: it refers back to an earlier answer, says central incident records are not held, and points to commissioning arrangements and clinical standards documents. It never states whether the evidence base is adequate, so the reply is largely hedged and a member of the public would likely need to ask again for a direct answer.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Department's assessment or view of the adequacy of the evidence on the long-term health and functional outcomes of orthodontic treatment involving the extraction of healthy premolar teeth? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The item asks for the Department's view on whether the evidence on long-term outcomes of extracting healthy premolars is adequate, but the reply never states any assessment of that evidence. It refers back to an earlier answer on 'our approach to concerns about longer term impacts' (statement 1), says no central incident records are held (statement 2), and points to commissioning arrangements and clinical standards documents (statements 3–5), none of which judges the adequacy of the evidence base. |