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

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