| The objective of this study was to compare the reporting of compliance and satisfaction with treatment outcome by orthodontists and their patients, and to determine how those reports relate to each other. The study was a retrospective survey completed by orthodontists in private practice and by adult patients who had completed fixed orthodontic appliance therapy within the previous two years. Each questionnaire was comprised of a compliance scale, a quality of care scale, a satisfaction with treatment outcome scale, and a section on demographics, and totaled 30 questions. Each patient questionnaire was paired with a questionnaire completed by his/her treating orthodontist.;Comments elicited from patients demonstrate a stronger focus on communication between the orthodontist and patient, while comments elicited from orthodontists--while not discounting the importance of communication--demonstrated more frequently a focus on biological and mechanical aspects of treatment and less frequently on communication between the orthodontist and patient.;There was no statistically significant difference between orthodontist and patient assessments of compliance or of satisfaction with treatment outcome. Patients rated quality of care at a higher level than did orthodontists, although both groups rated quality of care at a high level. Neither patient- nor orthodontist-reported compliance was correlated with orthodontist-reported satisfaction with treatment outcome, although patient-reported compliance was correlated with patient-reported satisfaction with treatment outcome. |
