STUDYING THE MOTIVATION OF PATIENTS WHO APPLY WITH ORTHODONTIC ASSISTANCE
Authors: Melnyk S. V. , Zombor K.V. , Melnyk V.S. 
Published: November 2022

Introduction. Preserving and strengthening the health of the population has always been one of the key issues in society. Dental care is one of the most demanded types of medical care, improving the quality of its provision is an important task of health care. Given the importance of paying attention to the patient's opinion in different treatment methods for a successful outcome and the influence of different factors on the success of the treatment from the patient's and the clinician's point of view, it seems necessary to conduct a study to assess the patient's expectation before and after orthodontic treatment in order to evaluate the possible variables.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate data on the motivation of patients seeking orthodontic care that can help orthodontists meet the patients’ expectations and needs and achieve a successful treatment outcome.

Materials and methods. We surveyed 300 patients aged 15 to 58 years (37.3% men, 62.7% women, average age is 25.4 years) who went fro dental care to the "University Clinical Dental Polyclinic" of the Uzhhorod National University. We applied the anonymous questionnaire method. A wide range of questions included in the questionnaire enabled us to analyze the motives for seeking orthodontic care in relation to demographic variables: age, gender, level of education and profession of parents.

Results. The results of the study have shown that the majority of patients (89.3%) are motivated to align their front teeth, both on the upper and lower jaw (highest frequency), and 17.3% of them want to align their back teeth (lowest frequency). There are correlations between the gender of patients and the motivation to straighten the front teeth (p<0.009), and women demonstrate a higher motivation for this type of correction. As the mother's level of education increases, the motivation to change the height of the front teeth grows as well (p<0.03) in order to improve the condition of the teeth and gums when smiling (p<0.001). The assessment of the relationship between the presence and absence of motivation to change the state of the teeth according to the mother's education level reveals a statistically significant negative relationship between the motivation to change the height of the front teeth (p<0.03), improving the appearance of the teeth and gums when smiling (p<0.001) and the level of education of the mother. The assessment of the relationship between the presence and absence of motivation to improve the teeth positioning by the father's education level reveals only a statistically significant negative relationship between the motivation to move the teeth of the lower jaw back or forward and the father's education level (p<0.02). Conclusion. Alignment of anterior teeth (89.3%) and improvement of the appearance of teeth or gums when smiling has been found as the main reasons for patients to seek orthodontic care. The study has also shown that the patient's gender and the mother's education level have the most significant relationship with his/her motivation to change the position of the teeth, while the father's education and age have the least significant relationship with their motivation. Assessing the views of patients who seek orthodontic treatment and their expectations from the treatment is one of the main factors to consider when providing orthodontic treatment.