Orthodontic Assessment for the Dental Hygienist & Therapist; When to refer

This webinar is designed to guide dental hygienists and therapists in conducting effective orthodontic assessments, utilising the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) as a key tool. Participants will learn how to identify orthodontic concerns, determine when referral to an orthodontist is necessary, and understand the critical role they play in early intervention. By the end of the session, dental professionals will be equipped with the skills to improve patient care and enhance collaborative treatment planning with orthodontic specialists.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand how to use the IOTN to assess both dental health and aesthetic needs for orthodontic treatment.
• Be able to identify key indicators that suggest when a referral to an orthodontist is necessary.
• Gain confidence in discussing orthodontic concerns with patients and explaining the importance of early intervention.
• Develop a clear understanding of the referral process and how to collaborate effectively with orthodontic specialists to provide the best care for patients.

Hosted By Dr Claire Nightingale

Claire Nightingale, a highly experienced and multiple prize-winning specialist orthodontist, including “Best Practice, UK, 2020” in The Dentistry Awards; the “Most Transformed Practice, 2022” in the UK and Ireland Invisalign Awards; “Best Principal, London, 2022”, Private Dentistry Awards, and “Best Team, London, 2023”, Private Dentistry Awards, decided to become an orthodontist at the age of 12, having been inspired by experiencing fantastic care from her own dentist. She qualified as a dentist, from Newcastle University in 1989; completed her specialist training as an orthodontist in 1996 at Bristol University and was a Senior Registrar in Orthodontics at the Eastman Dental Hospital, accrediting as a Consultant in 2000. Having purchased Queen’s Gate Orthodontics, South Kensington, London in 2012, she partnered with Dentex in 2021, now Portman- Dentex, where she remains the principal orthodontist, in addition to being an NHS Consultant at Watford General Hospital since 2004. She has treated thousands of children and adults with fixed braces, and several hundred patients with Invisalign. In addition to routine orthodontics, her special interests include working with jaw (orthognathic) surgeons to treat people with facial deformity and to relieve the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea. Consequent to the pandemic, she embraced technology and now 70% of her patients are treated with Invisalign and monitored using Dental Monitoring. Claire is the UK specialist orthodontist for the Invisalign EMEA Advisory Group and a Key Opinion Leader for Dental Monitoring. She is also an accredited Expert Witness, Cardiff University, 2025, and provides expert advice for dento-legal cases.

Claire was President of the London Dental Fellowship, 2019 – 2021 and is Treasurer of the Women Dentists Network. She is passionate about both clinical orthodontics, and business processes. When not treating patients, she enjoys lecturing to dental societies, writing articles, and mentoring young people who wish to become dentists. Her hobbies include scuba diving, swimming, playing her clarinet and piano, stand up comedy and trying, ineffectively, to get her children to tidy their bedrooms.

To learn more about Dr Claire Nightingale or to refer a patient to her, please click here.

Please note: After securing your ticket on Eventbrite, you will also need to complete the registration for the Teams webinar by providing your full name and email address. We recommend completing this step at the time of booking your ticket on Eventbrite or as soon as possible to ensure a smooth registration process and access to the webinar on the day.