Assessing the Interceptive Orthodontic Needs of Children in the UK
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing the Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment Needs of children using the Index for Preventive and Interceptive Orthodontic Needs (IPION)
IRAS ID
356755
Contact name
Fiona Ryan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London Hospitals
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Edge ID, 183006
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
This research study will look at the number of children who may benefit from early orthodontic treatment, which means getting braces or other orthodontic care earlier than usual to help guide better development of teeth and jaws and intercept developmental dental and craniofacial anomalies. In the UK, children usually only get NHS orthodontic treatment when all their adult teeth have come through. However, in certain cases starting treatment earlier—while children still have some baby teeth—can help prevent more serious problems later on.
The study will focus on children aged approximately 8 to 10 years old who are attending for assessment at the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospital in London. A special scoring tool, called the IPION-9 index, will be used to assess their orthodontic needs. This tool has been designed specifically for use in children in the mixed dentition (a mixture of primary and permanent teeth), but it has not yet been fully tested in the UK. In this study we will using and evaluating a modified IPION-9 index, which has been developed to address the limitations identified in previous studies.
The results of this research could help identify children who would benefit from early treatment, potentially reducing the need for more complex, intensive and costly care in the future. It may also help improve how children are referred for NHS orthodontic treatment and support fairer, more timely access to care.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/YH/0041
Date of REC Opinion
16 Mar 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion