Young patients' attitudes toward removable appliance wear times, wear-time instructions and electronic wear-time measurements--results of a questionnaire study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the attitude of young patients to removable appliance wear times, wear-time instructions and electronic wear-time measurement.


METHODS
140 patients (mean age 11.97 years) undergoing orthodontic treatment with removable appliances expressed their wishes about wear times and wear-time instructions in a questionnaire. The questionnaires were analyzed by means of descriptive statistical analysis.


RESULTS
Analysis of this questionnaire investigation according to gender revealed that the majority of the respondents preferred wearing their appliances overnight only, and that they did not want their practitioners determining the length of the appliance wear. We observed gender-specific differences in the acceptance of wear times as determined by the dental practitioner, which were accepted by 58% of the girls but only 28% of the boys. Willingness to wear a removable appliance increased markedly when the orthodontic objectives included offering patients the prospect of an improvement in their appearance from wearing a removable appliance. A recently-developed removable appliance with an integrated microsensor on the market that provides an objective measure of appliance wear times would only be worn without reservations by about 21% of boys and 32% of girls. 41-45% of the respondents only agreed to treatment using this kind of microsensor provided the treatment period would be thereby shortened.


CONCLUSIONS
The extent to which the clinician can respond to the wishes and requirements of young patients in terms of removable appliance wear is crucial to the compliance necessary for success. Acceptance of a removable appliance with an integrated electronic wear-time recorder can be enhanced if the practitioner explains to the patient in a simple, straightforward manner the therapeutic advantage of this new generation of appliances. Society's growing openness towards electronic devices does not yet appear to be reflected in the desire of young patients for braces with an integrated microsensor.
Schott
Timm Cornelius
TC
Department of Orthodontics, Eberhard Karl University, Tübingen, Germany. timm.schott@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Göz
Gernot
G
D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009968:Orthodontic Appliances, Removable / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires