Laila F Baidas.
Patient compliance in wearing the retainers after Orthodontic treatment.
J Pak Dent Assoc Jan ;13(4):211-8.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze cooperation of patients in wearing removable and bonded retainers with regard to: age of patient, patient motivation, duration of wear, number of times broken or lost, difficulty faced with retainers, and the level of satisfaction with orthodontic treatment; to compare gender difference; and age group differences. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study of patient compliance with orthodontic retainers was conducted on 75 patients, using an appropriate questionnaire filled out by patients after a variable time of debonding included and fitting the retainers. The data was analyzed and the differences between and within certain variables were examined using a non-parametric chi-square at 0.05 level of significance. RESULT: Of the seventy-five cases surveyed in this study, 53.3% were female, 46.7% were male, and the age range was between 13 and 28 years old on completion of treatment. 36% of the participants sought orthodontic treatment because of concern regarding crowding. In almost half the patients (48%) the treatment period was between 2-3 years. Most cases had their orthodontic treatment finished between 6 months to 3 years. In the upper arch the majority type of retainers were removable (92%); however in the lower arch the majority were bonded retainers (80.3%). The average time of wearing removable retainers by the patients varied considerably, 34.8% only wore it full time (24 hours). 51.4% of patients reported that they did not break or lose their retainers. However 43.2% of patients had removable retainers broken / lost and 5.4% of patients had broken the bonded retainer. The main complaint from the majority of patients (55.3%) wearing removable retainer; was difficulty in speaking. Breakage incidences of either removable or bonded retainers were higher in male than in female patients which was statistically significant (P<0.05). The difference between two age groups regarding the complications they have faced in wearing the removable retainers was highly significant statistically (P<0.001) CONCLUSION: A concern about appearance was the most important reason for seeking orthodontic treatment. The majority of patients were found not to be following instructions for the required time and period of wearing retainers. The breakage and loss of removable retainers was higher than bonded retainers. Breakages of retainers were higher in males than females. The patients of the younger age group had fewer complaints in terms of the difficulty in wearing removable appliances than the patients of older age group. The duration of treatment was clearly associated with a monotonous decay of compliance.

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