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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Use of the Operant Orofacial Pain Assessment Device (OPAD) to Measure Changes in Nociceptive Behavior
Published on: June 10, 2013
The relationship between personality traits, pain perception and attitude toward orthodontic treatment
Elham Saleh Abu Alhaija1, Abdalsalam Aldaikki, Mahmoud K Al-Omairi
1Department of Orthodontics, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid-Jordan. elham@just.edu.jo
Objective:
To investigate the relationship between personality traits and a person's attitude toward orthodontic treatment and perception of pain during orthodontic treatment.
Materials And Methods:
The sample consisted of two groups: group 1 consisted of 200 untreated subjects (100 males, 100 females; average age, 21.50 +/- 3.35 years), and group 2 consisted of 200 treated subjects (100 males, 100 females; average age, 20.92 +/- 2.48 years). The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire that included assessment of patients' personality profiles, pain expectation for untreated subjects, pain experience for treated subjects, and attitudes toward orthodontic treatment.
Results:
Gender, treatment status, and personality traits did not affect subjects' average attitude toward orthodontic treatment, whereas gender was the only variable that affected subjects' average pain perception (P < .01). The average attitude score in subjects who experienced pain during orthodontic treatment was 5.06 +/- 1.43, compared to 4.32 +/- 1.35 for subjects who did not experience pain (P < .001). The average pain perception scores in treated subjects with previous knowledge of orthodontic treatment was 5.29 +/- 1.94, compared to 6.07 +/- 1.95 in subjects who did not have previous knowledge of orthodontic treatment (P < .01).
Conclusions:
Personality traits did not affect attitude toward orthodontic treatment and pain perception/experience during orthodontic treatment. A more positive attitude was found in patients who experienced less pain during orthodontic treatment.
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