Assessment of readiness in patients desiring treatment of dentofacial anomalies.
It has become widely recognized that psychological factors should be considered before accepting patients for the treatment of dentofacial anomalies. Most of the techniques used for the psychological evaluation of patients attempt to label them as good or bad treatment candidates. In contrast, an approach that emphasizes the assessment of patients' readiness for treatment has been developed. The focus of this procedure is the process of the patient's decision making. This helps to evaluate patients for treatment and concurrently assists the decision making of patients who are insufficiently prepared. Patients who have completed this process are expected to show a lower probability of dissatisfaction with the course of treatment and its outcome.
D003657:Decision Making; D005145:Face / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006801:Humans; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010358:Patient Participation