Orthodontists behavior in relation to the frequency of follow-up appointments and recurrence of malocclusions after orthodontic treatment

Luis Felipe NEVESAZEVEDO, Ana Rosa COSTA, Silvia Amélia Scudeller VEDOVELLO, Guaracy FONSECAJUNIOR, Eduardo César ALMADASANTOS, Giovana Cherubini VENEZIAN, Mário VEDOVELLO FILHO

Objective: This study presented a relevant clinical aspect regarding the frequency of treatment orthodontic and the follow-up post treatment to correlate with malocclusion relapses. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 404 orthodontists, who answered an electronic questionnaire structured with treatment questions, type of retainer device, time of use, recurrences, and treatment forms. The data were analyzed initially by frequency distribution tables and then by simple and multiple logistic regression analyses, considering the significance level of 5%. Results: Professionals who supervise their patients for periods longer than annually, or who do not, are 2.13 (95% CI: 1.22-3.71) times more likely to use a fixed appliance in case of relapse (p=0.0097). Professionals who responded that they treat their own patients and third parties in the same way are more likely to use a fixed appliance (OR: 1.73; IC 95%: 1.14-2.62) (p<0.05). There was a significant association between the time that the professional identifies the appearance of relapses after the end of treatment and the frequency with which he supervises the patient in the post-treatment period, with this phenomenon being detected, already in the first year, for 52.5% of the orthodontists surveyed (p<0.05). Most orthodontists (93.1%) agreed that remov- able retainer devices are more susceptible to relapses (p<0.05). Conclusion: Most orthodontists recommend using full-time restraints for the rest of the patients lives and perform annual post-treatment supervision.

Keywords: Malocclusion. Orthodontics corrective. Relapse

How to cite: Neves-Azevedo LF, Costa AR, Vedovello SAS, Fonseca-Junior G, Almada-Santos EC, Venezian GC, Vedovello-Filho M. Orthodontists behavior in relation to the frequency of follow-up appointments and recurrence of malocclusions after orthodontic treatment. Clin Orthod. 2022 Fev- Mar;21(1):86-94.

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