Patient satisfaction with orthodontic treatment outcomes: a cross-sectional study at Tabriz postgraduate orthodontic...

This study aimed to evaluate patient satisfaction with the procedures and outcomes of orthodontic treatment provided at a Postgraduate Orthodontic Department at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The findings were to identify areas for improving service delivery.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 using a validated orthodontic patient satisfaction questionnaire, comprising 10 items, and distributed to 100 patients who had completed orthodontic treatment and attended follow-up sessions. Participants were selected through probability proportional sampling across seven orthodontic residents, with no restrictions on age or other demographic factors. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Associations between demographic factors, service quality, and patient satisfaction were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, Spearman correlation, and multiple regression analyses in SPSS version 26.

Out of 100 questionnaires, 87 were completed and included in the analysis. Descriptive analysis highlighted demographic patterns and responses to questionnaire items, with the highest satisfaction reported for follow-up sessions by residents (94.3%) and resident professionalism (93.1%), and the lowest for the timely presence of faculty members (72.4%). While no significant association was found between demographic factors and patient satisfaction levels (p > 0.05), a strong positive correlation was identified between service quality and satisfaction levels (residents R = 0.87, faculty R = 0.88, reception R = 0.82, all p < 0.001). Furthermore, multiple regression analysis confirmed that service quality was the most significant predictor of patient satisfaction.

Although overall patient satisfaction was high, areas for improvement were noted, particularly with respect to patient admission processes and faculty availability.