Motivation, Perception, and Behavior of the Adult Orthodontic Patient: A Survey Analysis

Abstract

Purpose. The article is aimed at improving the understanding of the sociocultural profile of adult orthodontic patients and their expectations. In particular, it addresses three main aspects: the motivation and needs that underpin the decision to start orthodontic treatment, how it influences the patients’ daily life, and the different oral hygiene demands. Materials and Methods. An online survey was completed by 276 patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with different techniques. The questions asked concerned gender, age, type of appliance, any previous orthodontic treatments, type of any previous retainers, reasons for therapy, satisfaction, pain, problems in eating, daily number of teeth brushings and flossings before and during the treatment, perception of cost, sensation of visibility of the appliance, and if they would recommend orthodontic treatment. Results. A significant role within our sample is played by gender; 87.94% consisted of female patients out of which 72.57% wanted to improve their aesthetics, while only 54.84% of male patients cited the same reason. Invisible aligners were preferred by 67.70% of the patients due to them being considered the least painful, causing the fewest problems with eating, and the least visible. Metal braces were perceived as the less expensive treatment. Over a third of the patients (33.85%) had previously undergone orthodontic treatment, among them 54.05% wore a mobile retainer, 31.08% a fixed one, and 14.86% both. Daily tooth brushing and flossing increased during therapy with clear aligners by 48.94% and 126.39%, respectively. Conclusions. The greatest demand for orthodontic treatments comes from women, as they pay more attention to aesthetics, which makes the clear aligners the most common choice. The relapse after orthodontic treatment seems to cause a higher demand for retreatment, and oral hygiene habits significantly improve during orthodontic treatment, especially with the clear aligners.

Skeletal and dentoalveolar characteristics of maxillary lateral incisor agenesis patients: a comparative cross-sectional study

“…The increased occurrence of hypodontia in females more than males was previously reported in multiple studies [ 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 15 , 20 ]. Nonetheless, the female predilection may be related to their increased motivation to seek orthodontic treatment for better smile esthetics [ 21 ].…”

Predictability of Invisalign® Clear Aligners Using OrthoPulse®: A Retrospective Study

“…Today, there is an increasing demand for aesthetic treatments that have a lower impact on the social lives of young people. However, there is a greater need for aesthetic therapy in adults [ 38 ]. In fact, until new approaches with a low impact on the patient’s physical appearance have been developed, many patients reject orthodontic therapy and prefer not to treat the malocclusion.…”

The three-dimensional displacement tendency of teeth depending on incisor torque compensation with clear aligners of different thicknesses in cases of extraction: a finite element study

“…In contrast to conventional fixed treatment, CAT involves a form of tooth movement that features a predetermined "mismatch" between the aligner and the tooth [1]. CAT provides adult patients with a significant range of aesthetic treatments that do not negatively affect their social lives or relationships [2][3][4] and are associated with fewer periodontal complications and a lower risk of root resorption [5,6]. It is generally agreed that aligners are particularly efficient at resolving malocclusion of slight to moderate complexity in non-extraction cases due to their good capacity to expand, align and level the arches [7].…”