Patients' perceptions matter: Risk communication and psychosocial factors in orthodontics

Area of Science:

• Oral Health
• Orthodontics
• Risk Communication

Background:

• Effective risk communication is crucial for patient-centered oral healthcare.
• Limited understanding of orthodontic risks hinders patient-practitioner communication.
• Adult patients' perceptions of long-term orthodontic risks require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess adult patients' awareness, concerns, and risk-avoidance behaviors regarding long-term orthodontic risks.
• To explore the relationship between psychosocial factors and orthodontic risk perceptions.
• To evaluate the impact of a digital educational tool on risk awareness.

Main Methods:

• 498 adult orthodontic patients participated.
• Risk awareness was measured before and after using Oral Health Education Comics (OHEC).
• Logistic and linear regression models analyzed associations between psychosocial factors (depression, anxiety, self-esteem, perfectionism) and risk perceptions.

Main Results:

• Initially, 79.5% of patients had low risk awareness, primarily from online sources.
• OHEC increased high awareness to 64.8%.
• Negative facial soft-tissue changes were the primary concern (53.4%). Depression and anxiety correlated with higher risk concerns and avoidance. Perfectionism also linked to risk avoidance.

Conclusions:

• Streamlined risk communication is essential in orthodontics.
• Digital tools like OHEC can enhance patient understanding.
• Integrating psychosocial evaluations can improve patient-practitioner communication and facilitate psychosomatic-based dental care.