Remote appointments in Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: Part 1 service evaluation.

Objective: To assess the type, number and outcome of remote appointments in Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) in one acute hospital trust and to establish whether remote appointments carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic were successful in saving a face-to-face appointment.

Design: Service evaluation.

Setting: Orthodontic and OMFS departments at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

Method: A retrospective service evaluation was carried out, analysing the types, numbers and outcomes of remote appointments in Orthodontics and OMFS over a nine-month period (March-December 2020) during the Covid-19 pandemic in one hospital trust. Data were collected from the trust online booking system and departmental spreadsheets and recorded on Microsoft^® Excel.

Results: A total of 901 remote appointments were analysed, 42% (n = 387) of which were Orthodontic and 58% (n = 523) OMFS. Low failure to attend rates were seen in both specialties (3% (n = 18) OMFS; 6% (n = 21) Orthodontics). Retainer reviews accounted for 83% (n = 315) of all Orthodontic remote appointments and the most common outcome of remote appointments was discharge after attendance (49% n = 189). New patient consultations accounted for 41% (n = 212) of OMFS remote appointments and the most common outcomes were Oral Medicine review (31% n = 162) and discharge following attendance (20% n = 103). Remote platforms saved a follow-up face-to-face appointment in 92% (n = 352) of Orthodontic appointments, compared to 81% (n = 421) for OMFS remote appointments.

Conclusion: When appropriately triaged, the majority of remote appointments do save a face-to-face visit, and there is a place for remote platforms in both specialties going forward. However further research is required in the post-pandemic era to ascertain the full long-term applicability of remote Orthodontic and OMFS appointments.