Patients' expectations: is there a typical patient?

To qualitatively explore, and analyse, patients' expectations before the start of fixed appliance orthodontic treatment and determine whether typologies exist.

A prospective cross-sectional qualitative study, which involved 13 patients (aged 12-15 years).

NHS Hospital Orthodontic Department (UK).

In-depth interviews were conducted with patients who consented to participate before the start of fixed appliance orthodontic treatment. The in-depth interview data were transcribed and then managed using a framework approach, followed by associative analysis.

The in-depth interviews revealed two major themes and associated subthemes which were: first, patients' expectations about the treatment process and outcome; and second, patients' expectations of themselves during and after treatment. Three typologies related to patients' expectations of the orthodontic treatment process were also identified. The first group of participants had minimal expectations of the treatment process, did not anticipate discomfort or pain and did not anticipate that treatment would cause disruption to their daily life. The second group of participants had expectations that treatment would involve arch wire changes, dental extractions and result in some discomfort/pain, which would cause some limited disruption to their daily life (moderate expectations). The third type of participant had expectations of the treatment process involving arch wire changes and dental extractions, and anticipated that the discomfort and pain experienced would significantly affect their daily life (marked expectations).

These results provide the clinician with information about patient typologies and provide the clinician with some direction when communicating with their patients and managing their expectations before the start of treatment.