Patient satisfaction and perception of quality care in orthodontic services using the servqual model at a tertiary care hospital

Objective: To assess patient satisfaction and the perceived quality of orthodontic care in a tertiary care setting,focussing on identifying gaps between patients’ expectations and perceptions.Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Orthodontics, Aga Khan UniversityHospital, Karachi, in January 2025, and comprised orthodontic patients undergoing treatment for at least sixmonths. Data was collected using a structured SERVQUAL-based questionnaire which was distributed online. Theprimary outcome was the difference between expectation and perception scores for each SERVQUAL dimension oftangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Data was analysed using SPSS for windows (version23.0, SPSS Inc, Chicago)Results: Of the 58 patients, 41(70.7%) were females with mean age 24.2±5.5 years and 17(29.3%) were males withmean age 22.4±12.2 years. A significant gap was observed between patients’ expectations and perceptions inreliability and empathy dimensions (p<0.05). Conversely, the highest perception scores were noted in assuranceand responsiveness dimensions (p<0.05).Conclusions: There were significant gaps between patients’ expectations and perceptions with respect to reliabilityand empathy, while high satisfaction levels were noted for assurance and responsiveness.