Satisfaction with orthodontic treatment.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the satisfaction of patients with their orthodontic treatment at the Department of Orthodontics at the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) in The Netherlands.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To analyze differences in satisfaction through time, the results of patients treated at ACTA in 2008 and 2009 were compared with the results of patients treated at ACTA in 2000. A validated questionnaire about patient satisfaction was used. The total scale was divided into six subscales. A questionnaire was sent to all patients younger than 30 years who finished orthodontic treatment in 2008 and 2009 at ACTA.

RESULTS

The internal consistency of the total scale and the six subscales of the questionnaire was satisfactory. Respondents scored highest on items about satisfaction with the doctor-patient relationship (mean 4.24; SD 0.63) and lowest on items regarding their satisfaction with psychosocial improvement (mean 2.88; SD 0.87). Compared to the results of the sample from 2000, significant differences were found on the subscales doctor-patient relationship, residual category, and psychosocial improvement as well as on the total sum scale.

CONCLUSIONS

The doctor-patient relationship remains the most important factor contributing to patient satisfaction. However, the results show that, overall, patients are more satisfied with their orthodontic treatment than patients were a decade ago.