title: Retention: type, duration and need for common guidelines. A survey of Norwegian orthodontists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To survey retention protocols and need for practical retention guidelines among orthodontists in Norway and to compare the results with similar studies in other countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was mailed to all members of the Norwegian Association of Orthodontists. It included questions about their background and their current retention protocol, as well as their perceived need for common retention guidelines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 77.7% (69.3% males and 30.7% females). The most common maxillary retainer was a combination of a fixed and removable retainer, followed by a clear thermoplastic retainer. In the mandible, a fixed retainer bonded to all anterior teeth was most common (66.4%). Retention in the maxilla lasted 2 to 3 years (34.7%) or 3 to 5 years (23.8%). In the mandible, 41.5% of the orthodontists left the retainer in place for >5 years. When retention lasted more than 3 years, 70% of the orthodontists left the responsibility for retainer checkups to the patients or the general practitioners. The main reason for choosing a certain retention protocol was clinical experience (57.4%). Only 3.5% of the orthodontists based their protocols on information from the literature. Half?of the orthodontists, significantly women, expressed a need for common retention guidelines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Norway, bonded retainers alone were reported to be most commonly used in the mandible, while bonded retainers used in combination with a removable retainer appear to be the most commonly used appliances in the maxilla. This is similar to the most frequently used retainers in other countries, but there are disparities in duration and follow-up protocols. Most female orthodontists desire common retention guidelines.
authors: Department of Orthodontics, University of Oslo, Norway. vaskav@odont.uio.no
authors: Vaska
authors: V
authors: Vandevska-Radunovic
authors: Lisen
authors: L
authors: Espeland
authors: Arild
authors: A
authors: Stenvik
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D001840:Dental Bonding / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000628:therapy; D008334:Mandible / Q000473:pathology; D008437:Maxilla / Q000473:pathology; D009664:Norway; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D016382:Orthodontic Appliance Design; D018704:Orthodontic Retainers / Q000145:classification*; D009970:Orthodontics; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists'; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors