Satisfaction with orthodontic treatment

OBJECTIVES: To examine the satisfaction of patients with their orthodontic treatment at the Department of Orthodontics at the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) in The Netherlands. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To analyze differences in satisfaction through time, the results of patients treated at ACTA in 2008 and 2009 were compared with the results of patients treated at ACTA in 2000. A validated questionnaire about patient satisfaction was used. The total scale was divided into six subscales. A questionnaire was sent to all patients younger than 30 years who finished orthodontic treatment in 2008 and 2009 at ACTA. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the total scale and the six subscales of the questionnaire was satisfactory. Respondents scored highest on items about satisfaction with the doctor-patient relationship (mean 4.24; SD 0.63) and lowest on items regarding their satisfaction with psychosocial improvement (mean 2.88; SD 0.87). Compared to the results of the sample from 2000, significant differences were found on the subscales doctor-patient relationship, residual category, and psychosocial improvement as well as on the total sum scale. CONCLUSIONS: The doctor-patient relationship remains the most important factor contributing to patient satisfaction. However, the results show that, overall, patients are more satisfied with their orthodontic treatment than patients were a decade ago.