Abstract:

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the post-treatment retention phase of the patients, whose orthodontic treatment has been completed, from the patient’s perspective. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 100 patients, between the ages of 8-18 and >18 years, who agreed to fill in 20 questionnaires using the Google forms program. According to the answers given by the patients, the patients' perspectives about relapse after orthodontic treatment were evaluated. The obtained data were analyzed with the SPSS 21 package program according to criteria including gender, age, education level, and treatment type. The relationship/dependency between the variables was examined by chi-square analysis. Results: Patients who received fixed retainers after treatment reported a significantly higher retention rate (96.3%). 83.3% of the patients whose retainer was broken reported moderate relapse in their teeth (p<0.001). A significant correlation was found between patients whose brackets were broken during orthodontic treatment and moderate relapse after treatment (70%). Women (85.7%) reported that they preferred clear aligners more than men (p<0.05) to orthodontic retreatment due to relapse. Conclusions: Success in the post-orthodontic retention phase may be related to patient cooperation. In our study, it was seen that patients with relapse preferred clear aligner treatments instead of fixed orthodontic treatments in the orthodontic retreatments.

Keywords: