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.
Highlights
The demand for orthodontic treatments by adults, according to the surveys by the American Association of Orthodontists, is constantly increasing: in 2012, US orthodontists had an average of 129 adult patients; in 2014, it was 150; in 2016, it was 173; and in 2018, it was 178, with an overall increase of 27.53% in only six years
The results showed a remarkable negative impact of malocclusion on oral health related to quality of life (OHRQoL) in the ones who did not have therapy and a significant increase of the score on the oral health impact profile (OHIP) [12]
It is remarkable that some kinds of patients are more concerned about the aesthetic aspect of the orthodontic device, likely due to their social and job position, which is something that may warrant further investigation
Summary
The demand for orthodontic treatments by adults, according to the surveys by the American Association of Orthodontists, is constantly increasing: in 2012, US orthodontists had an average of 129 adult patients; in 2014, it was 150; in 2016, it was 173; and in 2018, it was 178, with an overall increase of 27.53% in only six years. Likewise in 1960, the AAO survey reported that only 4.37% of the orthodontic patients were adults, while forty-six years later, according to the 2016. AAO survey, the adult patients were 28.31% of the total with the percentage rising as much as seven times higher. A study by Muir et al [1] showed that in 1986, the adult orthodontic patients in New Zealand were 71% female. A similar study was published by Breece and Nieberg [2] which reported that 76% of the adult orthodontic patients of their sample were female and over half were married. The study of Khan and Horrocks [3] confirmed the data of 71% of female adult orthodontic patients. In 2011, Pabari et al [4] observed a percentage of 73% of females
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