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Appointment frequency versus treatment time
1Department of Dentistry, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Summary
Orthodontic treatment length did not significantly increase despite longer intervals between patient appointments. Modern appliances and materials may allow for less frequent visits without prolonging overall treatment time.
Area of Science:
- Orthodontics
- Dental Materials Science
Background:
- Traditional orthodontic treatment schedules involve frequent patient appointments.
- Clinic-specific situations can necessitate extended intervals between visits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of infrequent patient appointments on the overall duration of orthodontic treatment.
- To determine if modern orthodontic technologies influence treatment length with extended recall intervals.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 92 orthodontic patients treated between 1985 and 1987.
- Comparison of treatment duration in patients with standard versus extended appointment intervals.
Main Results:
- The overall length of orthodontic treatment did not show a statistically significant increase despite longer intervals between appointments.
- Infrequent patient visits did not adversely affect treatment completion time.
Conclusions:
- Extended intervals between orthodontic appointments are feasible without significantly increasing overall treatment duration.
- Advancements in orthodontic appliances and materials may contribute to the efficacy of less frequent visits.