Leeds Dental Institute is to launch the first ever practical training course, the Yorkshire Orthodontic Therapy course, for a new kind of health care professional: orthodontic therapists. The new orthodontic therapists will be able to work directly in the mouths of patients, taking a full and active role in orthodontic care. It is hoped the move will help combat the shortage of specialists in the field and make it easier for the huge number of children in the region who need orthodontic care to gain access to treatment.

Only ten dental nurses from across the UK were selected to join the 45-week course which will lead to a Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy. The course is the first ‘hands on’ dental course where the bulk of the training takes place outside a hospital setting.

It will start with a month of core training at Leeds Dental Institute and be completed either in an orthodontic practice or hospital department where the trainee therapists will work under the supervision of a specialist trainer. Once they have completed the course, the therapists, working under the supervision of an orthodontist, will be able to do much of the work traditionally done by orthodontists such as taking impressions, fitting orthodontic bands and placing and removing brackets and wires. Other centres in the UK are also interested in getting the ball rolling and similar training courses are already planned.