Postgraduate Orthodontic Program, Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, A.T. Still University, Mesa, Ariz, Graduate School of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea.
Postgraduate Orthodontic Program, Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, A.T. Still University, Mesa, Ariz.
Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2021 Jun;159(6):766-773. doi: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2020.12.020. Epub 2021 Apr 24.
This study evaluated the trends in orthodontic practitioner choice over the past 15 years and explored the lay public's understanding of different orthodontic practitioner options in the U.S., specifically, orthodontists compared with general dentists.
A survey was distributed to a representative sample of laypersons in the U.S. The response rate was 90.2%, and 727 completed responses were analyzed.
A 28.2% shift away from orthodontists toward general dentists over the last 15 years was significant (P <0.001). The 2 most frequently endorsed ways respondents found their orthodontic practitioners were a recommendation from another dentist (54.2%) and their family's general dentist who offered orthodontic treatment in-house (22.9%). Respondents' knowledge of orthodontists was limited; 85.0% believed that dentists who perform orthodontic treatment are also orthodontic specialists. Only 17.1% of respondents disagreed with the statement that "a dentist who advertises orthodontic treatment is an orthodontic specialist." In addition, 89.7% were not aware that a dentist could not be called an orthodontist without separate training from an accredited residency program. Finally, 64.2% of respondents did not know that an orthodontist must complete more education than a general dentist.
Over the past 15 years, the percentage of orthodontic patients treated by general dentists has increased significantly. The public's ability to differentiate between different types of orthodontic practitioners is poor, showing substantial confusion about orthodontists' qualifications. Most respondents believed that orthodontists are best suited for their orthodontic treatment, but they rely heavily on their general dentists for orthodontic practitioner decisions.
本研究评估了过去 15 年来正畸医生选择的趋势，并探讨了美国公众对不同正畸医生选择的理解，特别是正畸医生与普通牙医相比。
对美国的代表性普通人群进行了一项调查。回复率为 90.2%，对 727 份完整回复进行了分析。
过去 15 年，选择普通牙医而非正畸医生的人数减少了 28.2%，差异具有统计学意义（P<0.001）。受访者找到正畸医生的两种最常见方式是牙医的推荐（54.2%）和他们家庭的普通牙医，后者提供内部正畸治疗（22.9%）。受访者对正畸医生的了解有限；85.0%的人认为进行正畸治疗的牙医也是正畸专家。只有 17.1%的受访者不同意“做正畸治疗的牙医就是正畸专家”这一说法。此外，89.7%的人不知道牙医如果没有经过认可的住院医师培训计划，就不能被称为正畸医生。最后，64.2%的受访者不知道正畸医生必须接受比普通牙医更多的教育。
在过去的 15 年里，由普通牙医治疗的正畸患者比例显著增加。公众区分不同类型正畸医生的能力较差，对正畸医生的资质存在严重混淆。大多数受访者认为正畸医生最适合他们的正畸治疗，但他们在选择正畸医生时严重依赖于普通牙医。
