Clinical outcomes assessment of consecutively finished patients in a 24-month orthodontic residency: a 5-year perspective

Introduction The purpose of this study was to report on the clinical outcomes of a 24-month orthodontic residency. Methods One examiner scored 1019 consecutive pretreatment records and 714 consecutive posttreatment records annually over 5 years, using the American Board of Orthodontics discrepancy index and objective grading system. Results The mean discrepancy index scores were 19.63, 14.84, 12.30, 15.72, and 15.39 for years 1 through 5, respectively. The mean objective grading system scores were 31.16, 34.79, 28.55, 26.28, and 22.11 for years 1 through 5, respectively. The residents' completion rates for all cases were 58.9%, 60.5%, 82.7%, 74.4%, 78.2%, and 72.2% for years 1 through 5, respectively. Conclusions The establishment of an annual objective outcomes assessment benefited patients by improving objective grading system scores and reduced the number of transfers between residents (increased case completion rate), thus reducing faculty time for managing many transfer patients.