Patient and parent motivation for orthodontic treatment—a questionnaire study

Abstract

The aims of this investigation were to examine patients' and parents/guardians' motivation for seeking orthodontic treatment and to determine the influence of age and gender in this process. The sample comprised 674 subjects (365 girls and 309 boys) aged 7-18 years and 674 of their parents/guardians, as well as 86 adult patients aged 19-42 years (57 females and 29 males). Similar questionnaires, designed to assess motivation for orthodontic treatment, were completed by all subjects. Statistical analysis was undertaken using Pearson's chi-square test. In the patient groups, a desire to improve aesthetics was the main motivational factor for undergoing treatment. With increasing age, 13 per cent more girls (P = 0.039) were more aware of their malocclusion. The influence of their surroundings on the uptake of treatment decreased with increasing age. Less than 5 per cent of the examined subjects started treatment because other children made fun of them, and only 3 per cent of older patients were motivated by future improvements in health. Between 63 and 67 per cent of parents reported pressurizing their children to seek orthodontic treatment in order to avoid possible future claims of neglect. No statistically significant dependence on gender or age of the children was found. Improvement in dental aesthetics was the principle motivational factor for the children (29-48 per cent), their parents/guardians (54 per cent), and adult patients (55 per cent) seeking orthodontic treatment.

Ortodontinių Pacientų, Tėvų Ir Globėjų Požiūrio Į Ortodontinį Gydymą Palyginimas

“…Ką kita savo studijoje nustatė Kilpelainen: net 73% tėvų pažymėjo odontologo patarimą dėl vaikų ortodontinio gydymo kaip motyvacinį veiksnį [5]. Panašūs rezultatai buvo gauti ir Daniels studijoje: didžiąją dalį pacientų ortodontiniam gydymui motyvavo odontologas, tačiau ne ką mažiau pacientų nusprendė patys [7]. Espeland nustatė, jog tėvai, kurie patys priėmė galutinį sprendimą dėl ortodontinio gydymo reikalingumo, galėjo turėti skirtingų motyvų dėl savo vaikų.…”

Patient and Parent Motivation for Orthodontic Treatment and Agreement Between Orthodontist, Parent, Patient Perception Using Iotn Ac

“…Optimal facial appearance is not only viewed as being more attractive but it is also more socially accepted by peers, teachers, employers and others. Smiling is still considered to be one of the most effective methods of influencing people [5]. Attractive people are perceived as friendly, intelligent, interesting, more social and much more positive personalities in general [2].…”

“…The child is then a target of jibes and is given nicknames and so forth [2]. Some individuals with dentofacial disharmonies who are seeking treatment usually experience some level of psychological distress that may warrant psychological intervention [5].…”

“…They are arrived at by the negotiation between all interested parties -the child, parents, dentist, orthodontists and payment agencies [10]. It is important to determine prior to the treatment both the patients and their parents (guardians) motivations and expectations of the treatment [5].…”

Gingival Recession in Orthodontics: A Review

“…For instance, Rocha et al [10] showed that when the esthetic perception of smiles was evaluated by 160 dental students, there was a statistically significant difference between smiles with gingival recession and smiles without. This presents a problem because esthetics is a major motivational factor for patients to seek orthodontic treatment [11], [12]. For example, Reidman et al [11] showed that for 75% of patients seeking orthodontic treatment, dental esthetics was their primary motive.…”