Improving Decision-Making for Missing Upper Front Teeth

NCT07655193 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 359545
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 20
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Background: The developmental absence of 1-2 upper front teeth is a common condition, affecting 1 in 50 people worldwide, and affects smile aesthetics and quality-of-life. Treatment is often undertaken in teenagers, but the outcomes have lifelong consequences. Treatment options involve either creating space for a false tooth, or closing space and disguising the adjacent tooth as the missing tooth; both options have their own advantages, disadvantages and long-term considerations, and treatment often requires input from multiple dental specialties. Advances in orthodontic techniques mean more patients can be treated with either approach, therefore, the ideal treatment plan becomes more subjective and based upon the patient's preferences. Aim: To develop a Patient Decision Aid (PDA), a decision-making support tool to help young people (and parents/guardians) with developmentally missing upper front teeth choose the best treatment option for them. Approach: First, the investigators will gather information from stakeholders involved in the decision-making process to understand their needs. Interviews will be conducted with young people with developmentally missing upper front teeth and their parents/guardians about their experiences, expectations, and preferences regarding treatment decision-making. Information will also be sought from clinicians involved in this process about their experiences of the decision-making process, via focus groups. These will be carried out across two NHS hospitals with special clinics for missing teeth. Then, the information obtained from both patient and clinician stakeholder groups will help the investigators to develop a PDA, following international guidelines. PDA development will occur alongside ongoing input and feedback from a Development Panel (which will include patients and clinician representatives) to optimise content, acceptability, and accessibility. The final approved PDA will then be trialled in a later pilot study.

Conditions

Hypodontia; Decision Making ,Shared; Decision Aid

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Qualitative experience

  Qualitative data from interviews / focus groups on experiences of treatment decision-making for MLIA, which will be thematically analysed using the Framework method.

  Day 1

Study Arms (2)

Patients

Young people with Maxillary Lateral Incisor Agenesis (+/- parent or guardian)

Other: Interview / Focus group

Clinicians

Any clinicians involved in multidisciplinary hypodontia clinics where treatment decision-making occurs.

Other: Interview / Focus group

Interventions

Interview / Focus group OTHER

Interviews with patient participants and focus groups with clinician participants will be used to elicit information about experiences with decision-making with regards to treatment options for Maxillary Lateral Incisor Agenesis.

Clinicians; Patients

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 11 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patient Participants: patients attending the dental department for routine appointments Clinician Participants: clinicians working within the dental department

You may qualify if:

• Young people with Maxillary Lateral Incisor Agenesis (MLIA) affecting one or both maxillary lateral incisors
• Young people aged 11-18 years old (attending with an adult with parental responsibility if \<16 years old)
• In active orthodontic (space-closure or space-opening) or restorative treatment for MLIA, or completed active dental treatment less than one year ago
• Attended a multidisciplinary Hypodontia Clinic for treatment planning where both space-closure and space-opening options were offered

You may not qualify if:

• Craniofacial anomalies including cleft lip and/or palate
• Unable to communicate in English where no professional translation service is available
• Specialists or consultants in orthodontics, restorative dentistry, paediatric dentistry, and oral surgery who provide care as part of the Hypodontia pathway and work within the multidisciplinary hypodontia clinics
• Any clinician not providing care as part of the Hypodontia pathway and working within the multidisciplinary hypodontia clinics

Sponsors & Collaborators

• King's College London: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anodontia

Interventions

Interviews as Topic; Focus Groups

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tooth Abnormalities; Stomatognathic System Abnormalities; Stomatognathic Diseases; Tooth Diseases; Congenital Abnormalities; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 5, 2026
• First Posted: June 17, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2028
• Last Updated: June 17, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share