Evaluation of treatment changes produced by different orthodontic treatment modalities using Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) index

Abstract

Background: The assessment of treatment outcome has been an important facet of the orthodontic specialty for several decades. Generally, the orthodontic outcome is graded subjectively or by some objective method of evaluation in the clinical setting or of the study groups. The individual grading of one's own treatment results can be a self-educating exercise to improve the quality of care. Unfortunately, the variation in the criteria used by different orthodontists makes it difficult to compare the results Materials and Methods: A sample of 150 treated cases was divided into three groups as follows: Group A (n = 50) treated with edgewise mechanotherapy, Group B (n = 50) treated with light wire mechanotherapy, and Group C (n = 50) treated with functional appliance therapy. All the three groups were analyzed using Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) index. The degree of improvement in each case was categorized into three as worse-no improvement, improved, and greatly improved. Statistical analysis used: Chi-square test was used for comparison within groups and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for comparing treatment improvement between groups. Results: All the three groups showed significant overall improvement after treatment. However, the patients in edgewise group demonstrated greater degree of overall improvement in comparison to the rest. Conclusions: The PAR index appeared to be sensitive enough to determine the difference in outcome between the techniques used in this study.