Acceptance of potential risks in adult orthodontic patients and the influence of personality traits.

OBJECTIVES

To determine acceptance of potential risks in orthodontic treatment and whether it could be affected by personality traits of patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two hundred sixty-one adult participants consulting for orthodontic treatment were involved in this cross-sectional study. Acceptance of 18 orthodontic risks was investigated with a structured questionnaire. Personality traits of included patients were assessed with a validated Chinese version of the Big Five Inventory. Statistical analyses were performed as appropriate, and potential correlations were identified using multivariate binary logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Acceptability of the investigated orthodontic risks ranged from 47.1% to 87.0%, with periodontitis being the least accepted. Length of treatment (P = .015) and relapse (P = .007) were more unacceptable to older patients. Female participants showed less tolerance to periodontitis (P = .017) than male counterparts. Among the five dimensions of personality traits, conscientiousness was significantly associated with acceptance of tooth extraction and associated risks (odds ratio [OR] = 1.131, P = .002), problems eating (OR = 1.182, P < .001), problems speaking (OR = 1.111, P = .022), and appliance breakage (OR = 1.109, P = .008), while openness was a significant predictor to the acceptance of length of treatment (OR = 1.090, P = .044).

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients seeking orthodontic treatment, periodontitis was the least accepted risk. A significant association was found between the acceptance of certain orthodontic risks and personality traits, especially conscientiousness and openness.