Assessing Personality Risk Profiles in Prosthodontics Patients: A Delphi-Driven Classification Approach

Area of Science:

• Dental Science
• Psychology
• Patient Care

Background:

• Patient satisfaction is crucial for successful prosthodontic treatment outcomes.
• Understanding patient personality traits (PT) can help manage expectations and improve treatment adherence.
• Identifying potential psychological barriers is key to optimizing dental care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify specific personality traits (PT) that may negatively impact patient satisfaction with prosthodontic treatment.
• To develop a personality risk profile (PRP) for categorizing these traits.
• To aid dental professionals in recognizing patients who may require tailored approaches in prosthodontic care.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review was performed to identify relevant personality traits (PT) in dental patients.
• A three-round Delphi process involving specialists was used to classify PT into risk levels.
• A personality risk profile (PRP) was developed based on expert consensus.

Main Results:

• Twenty-six personality traits (PT) associated with prosthodontic treatment satisfaction were identified.
• The Delphi process resulted in a consensus classification of PT into three risk categories: Low, Moderate, and High.
• High-risk traits include mistrustfulness, unrealistic expectations, and resistance to treatment.

Conclusions:

• Specific personality traits (PT) can adversely affect patient satisfaction in prosthodontic treatment.
• The proposed personality risk profile (PRP) enables dental professionals to proactively identify at-risk patients.
• Early recognition of these traits can facilitate personalized patient management strategies for improved outcomes.