Expectations of treatment and satisfaction with dentofacial appearance in patients applying for orthodontic treatment

• Dentofacial satisfaction and treatment expectations were examined.
• Results from this study were compared with the results from a study 10 years ago.
• The subjects in this study had higher expectations of orthodontic treatment.
• The subjects in this study were more satisfied with their dental appearance.

IntroductionSatisfaction with dentofacial appearance and expectations of orthodontic treatment have been analyzed in many studies. In 2002, in a study in The Netherlands, significant correlations were found between dental satisfaction and orthodontic treatment expectations. Satisfaction significantly decreased with increasing age. The aim of this study was to compare the satisfaction and expectations of current patients with the results of a study 10 years ago.MethodsA questionnaire about dentofacial satisfaction and a questionnaire about the expectations of orthodontic treatment were completed by 146 subjects. The mean scores in the present study were compared with the mean scores 10 years ago.ResultsThe subjects in the present study were more satisfied with their dental appearance. Differences in expectations were found on the subscales of general well-being and self-image. As in the study in 2002, no significant correlations were found between sex, satisfaction, and expectations of orthodontic treatment. Dentofacial satisfaction predicts expectations about orthodontic treatment, especially in the group of subjects aged 17 years and above.ConclusionsThe subjects in this study had greater expectations of orthodontic treatment about general well-being and were more satisfied with their dental appearance than were the subjects studied 10 years ago.