Stable Court Dental Surgery, Holmfirth, UK.
Department of Oral Surgery, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
J Orthod. 2022 Sep;49(3):296-303. doi: 10.1177/14653125221085983. Epub 2022 Mar 24.
Good communication is fundamental to provision of information and patient engagement in orthodontic treatment. Images can be used to support verbal and written information, but little is known about how laypeople interpret orthodontic images.
To explore laypeople's understanding and preferences for images (clinical photographs and medical illustrations) relating to orthodontic diagnoses and treatments.
Cross-sectional survey.
UK.
Laypeople aged ⩾16 years.
Participants were recruited through social media to complete an online questionnaire containing six pairs of images (clinical photograph and medical illustration) relating to orthodontic diagnoses and treatment. Photographs were selected from a bank with input from laypeople, then a matching medical illustration was created. Images were presented with questions relating to interpretation, preferences and reasons for preferences.
A total of 898 people completed the questionnaire. Interpretation of images by laypeople was variable and, in some cases, normal intra-oral features and image orientation caused confusion. A combination of photograph and illustration were preferred for images representing diagnosis (by 41%-50% participants), whereas the illustration alone or both photograph and illustration together was preferred for explaining treatment (43%-48% and 35%-44%, respectively). Photographs were liked for their realism and relatability, while illustrations were often found to be clearer. Arrows aided participants' understanding of the images, but annotations were requested to further improve the value of images. Only 26% of participants reported having previously been shown dental images, but 96% felt they would be helpful to support verbal and written information.
Laypeople may not interpret orthodontic images in the way that professionals expect, and unfamiliar intra-oral features may distract people from the intended focus of the image. A combination of photographs and illustrations together may improve the usefulness of images, alongside annotation or explanation.
良好的沟通是提供信息和让患者参与正畸治疗的基础。图像可用于支持口头和书面信息，但人们对非专业人士如何解读正畸图像知之甚少。
探讨非专业人士对正畸诊断和治疗相关图像（临床照片和医学插图）的理解和偏好。
横断面调查。
英国。
年龄 ⩾16 岁的非专业人士。
通过社交媒体招募参与者完成在线问卷，问卷包含六对与正畸诊断和治疗相关的图像（临床照片和医学插图）。从银行中选择照片，并在非专业人士的帮助下创建匹配的医学插图。呈现图像时，附有与解释、偏好和偏好原因相关的问题。
共有 898 人完成了问卷。非专业人士对图像的解读存在差异，在某些情况下，正常的口腔内特征和图像方向会引起混淆。对于代表诊断的图像，照片和插图的组合（41%-50%的参与者）更受欢迎，而对于解释治疗的图像，单独的插图（43%-48%）或照片和插图一起（35%-44%）更受欢迎。照片因其真实性和相关性而受到喜爱，而插图通常被认为更清晰。箭头有助于参与者理解图像，但需要注释进一步提高图像的价值。只有 26%的参与者报告之前曾看过牙科图像，但 96%的人认为这些图像有助于支持口头和书面信息。
非专业人士可能不会按照专业人士期望的方式解读正畸图像，不熟悉的口腔内特征可能会使人们偏离图像的预期焦点。照片和插图的组合可能会提高图像的有用性，同时配以注释或解释。
