Factors influencing the decision to initiate orthodontic treatment in patients seeking orthodontic consultation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20883/jofa.130Keywords:
orthodontic treatment, malocclusion, patient acceptance of health care, dental crowding, dental estheticsAbstract
Introduction and aim. The decision to initiate orthodontic treatment is influenced by multiple factors beyond clinical need alone. Even patients with comparable malocclusion severity may differ in their willingness to undergo therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the association between selected demographic and occlusal characteristics and the decision to initiate orthodontic treatment in a retrospective clinical cohort.
Material and methods. A retrospective analysis was conducted using clinical records of 902 patients attending an initial orthodontic consultation between 2022 and 2024. Data collected during the first visit included gender, age, skeletal class, dental crowding, spacing, crossbite, scissor bite, and vertical overbite. Patients were categorized into three age groups. The outcome variable was treatment initiation, defined as the start of active orthodontic therapy. The proportion of patients initiating treatment was calculated for each subgroup and compared statistically.
Results. Age was significantly associated with treatment initiation (p < 0.001), with the highest uptake observed in younger patients (62.59%) and the lowest in older individuals (27.12%). Dental crowding was also significantly associated with treatment decisions (58.81% vs. 50.00%, p = 0.038). No significant differences were found for gender, skeletal class, spacing, crossbite, scissor bite, or vertical overbite (p > 0.05).
Conclusions. Age and dental crowding were the only factors significantly associated with the decision to initiate orthodontic treatment. Other analysed occlusal characteristics did not demonstrate a significant relationship with treatment uptake. These findings suggest that treatment decisions are influenced selectively by factors that are more directly perceived by patients, rather than uniformly by all clinical features.
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