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Do not offer' ↓↓Risks of the intervention outweigh the benefits; most patients would not choose the intervention while only a small proportion would; for clinicians, most of their patients would not receive the intervention

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The National Health Service (NHS) has recently been faced with increasing government targets at the same time as increasing spending cuts. Within the current fiscal constraints, the NHS is expected to deliver quality services while at the same time ensuring value for money.1 Since 1995 there have been developments to move the delivery of specialist dental care into the primary healthcare sector. This followed a report by the Chief Dental Officer (CDO) for England, who reviewed the arrangements for specialist training in dentistry.2 To keep in line with Europe, the CDO also recommended an increase in the provision of specialist dental care provided in the primary care setting.

Ectopic canines are regularly encountered in general dental practice and often fail to be treated by interceptive measures. Ectopic development can easily be monitored during regular dental examinations and early detection can reduce the patient's need for complex and extensive treatment later. Failure to diagnose ectopic canine development appropriately has been the reason for litigation in the past and may increasingly be a risk if practitioners are unable to identify them. A good understanding of canine development, assessment and management is necessary to be able to recognize ectopic development and avoid untoward sequelae.