Abstract

FACTORS AFFECTING ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT TIME

Dr. Amit Kumar Khajuria*, Dr. Amrit Anand and Dr. Sania

ABSTRACT

One of the first questions asked by new orthodontic patients is: How long will I need to wear my braces? A multitude of factors have the potential to influence the answer to this question. In today's society, the quest for esthetic perfection is no longer just an aspiration of the youth. As a result, there is an increasing number of adult patients who seek orthodontic treatment to improve not only function but appearance as well. Among the key factors that affect patients and serve to characterize adult vs. young patients are the absence of active growth, higher occurrence of dental mutilation and periodontal involvement. However, the time required for treatment is a major concern of adult patients. Thus, orthodontists must be prepared to provide treatment that meets the specific needs of such patients. Numerous studies have investigated variables that could influence treatment time in adolescents and adults. Among these factors are aging, sex, the use of ceramic vs. metal brackets, molar relationship at the beginning of treatment, initial severity of the malocclusion, tooth extractions, number of missed appointments, issues with the orthodontic appliance (breakages), patients' oral hygiene, the orthodontist's experience, whether or not treatment was performed in a public vs. private facility, and the patients' noncompliance in the use of intraoral elastics. Despite the disagreement regarding which variables exert a significant influence on orthodontic treatment time, no study has hitherto been published in the literature focusing on adult patients. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence exerted by different variables on the duration of treatment in adult patients.

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