Level of Satisfaction in the Use of the Wraparound Hawley and Thermoplastic Maxillary Retainers

Abstract

Objective: To compare the level of satisfaction in the use of wraparound Hawley and thermoplastic maxillary retainers. Materials and Methods: The study sample included 70 orthodontic patients (24 males and 46 females), who were in the retention stage (mean age = 20.80 years). All patients wore the two types of maxillary retainer for 1 month each, along with a 3×3 fixed mandibular retainer. After the use of each retainer, the patients responded to a questionnaire evaluating the level of satisfaction with their use of the maxillary retainer. Intergroup comparison was performed by independent t tests. Chi-square test was used to evaluate preference for the type of retainer by gender. Results: The thermoplastic retainer was better for swallowing and the wraparound Hawley appliance was better for hygiene and durability. The other factors evaluated (adaptation, speech, comfort, esthetics, satisfaction, and fitting) did not show significant differences between the retainers. There was also no significant difference in preference for the appliances. Conclusions: Regarding the overall satisfaction and the preference, there was no difference between the wraparound Hawley and thermoplastic retainers. The wraparound Hawley appliance was better in hygiene and resistance than the thermoplastic retainer; and the thermoplastic appliance was better than the wraparound Hawley for swallowing fluids and saliva.

Does simultaneous versus individual‐arch at‐home dental bleaching regimen influence patient satisfaction? A randomized clinical trial

“…Unlike these studies, we investigated more robust questionnaires in the literature that evaluated patient level of discomfort related to the use of trays. For this purpose, we used a more complete questionnaire that evaluated the effects of different trays for orthodontic purposes on patient level of discomfort 13,14 . From this point on, ours is one of the first studies to compile several questions in order to verify real patient level of discomfort with the use of bleaching trays.…”

“…The primary outcome of the study was patient level of discomfort during at‐home bleaching, that was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS; 0–10). For a 2.01 standard‐deviation for custom trays only in the upper arch 13 and with an equivalence limit of minimally significant difference by 1.5, using an alpha of 5% and 90% study power, 39 patients were needed for groups. However, to compensate for possible losses to follow‐up, 50 patients were used for this sample size.…”

“…The level of discomfort questionnaire applied in this study was developed and applied in orthodontics to verify problems with the adaptation of orthodontic trays, similar to the bleaching trays used in the present study 13,14 . Patient level of discomfort was recorded through a sequence of questions using a VAS (0–10) containing nine questions, 13 being them: 1. Did you adapt well to the tray?…”

“…The customized trays used for at‐home dental bleaching are similar to some thermoplastic retainers used in orthodontics 13,14 and have already seen many improvements regarding materials and design 15 . Earlier trays were made with more rigid material and used overnight application protocols 15,16 .…”

“…11 Furthermore, at-home bleaching is less expensive than in-office bleaching, mainly because it reduces clinical time for patients. 12 The customized trays used for at-home dental bleaching are similar to some thermoplastic retainers used in orthodontics 13,14 and have already seen many improvements regarding materials and design. 15 Earlier trays were made with more rigid material and used overnight application protocols.…”