Mohammed Hisham, Morsi Ahmed, Wafaie Khaled, Daniel Ben K, Farella Mauro
Angle Orthod. 2025 Mar 1;95(2):205-211. doi: 10.2319/031424-216.1.
To explore how orthodontic treatment affects different aspects of life, such as self-esteem, well-being, and social interactions and, additionally, to identify the long-term challenges that orthodontic patients experience after treatment.
This qualitative study involved in-depth semistructured face-to-face interviews. A purposive sampling strategy aimed to recruit a representative cohort of orthodontic patients who had their orthodontic treatment in adolescence and had their treatment concluded at least 5 years previously. Twenty-one patients (13 females and 8 males) were interviewed using a prepiloted topic guide. These interviews were transcribed and analyzed verbatim, using the general inductive method of data analysis.
The thematic analysis revealed four key themes and related subthemes: (1) self-confidence and interpersonal communication, (2) social and professional opportunities, (3) oral health and function, and (4) challenges. In-depth analysis revealed positive treatment outcomes regarding enhanced self-confidence, social interactions, and perceived improvement in oral health and function. It also highlighted ongoing challenges with retainers and dissatisfaction with relapse.
Orthodontic treatment can significantly impact patient lives. Orthodontic patients described direct long-term positive effects on their social lives and well-being. However, it is equally important to remain mindful of the long-term challenges that may arise after treatment, especially with retainer choices and relapse, enabling proactive measures to mitigate their impact.
探讨正畸治疗如何影响生活的不同方面，如自尊、幸福感和社交互动，此外，确定正畸患者在治疗后经历的长期挑战。
本定性研究采用深入的半结构化面对面访谈。一项目的抽样策略旨在招募一组具有代表性的正畸患者队列，他们在青少年时期接受了正畸治疗，且治疗结束至少已过去5年。使用预先设计好的主题指南对21名患者（13名女性和8名男性）进行了访谈。这些访谈进行了逐字转录，并采用一般归纳法进行数据分析。
主题分析揭示了四个关键主题及相关子主题：（1）自信与人际沟通，（2）社会和职业机会，（3）口腔健康与功能，（4）挑战。深入分析显示，在增强自信、社交互动以及口腔健康和功能的感知改善方面，治疗取得了积极成果。研究还强调了保持器方面持续存在的挑战以及对复发的不满。
正畸治疗可对患者生活产生重大影响。正畸患者描述了治疗对其社交生活和幸福感产生的直接长期积极影响。然而，同样重要的是要留意治疗后可能出现的长期挑战，尤其是在保持器选择和复发方面，以便采取积极措施减轻其影响。
