Subjective appraisal of patients' opinions of factors affecting their choice for an orthodontic practice

Objectives: The choice of an orthodontist and an or Objectives: thodontic office sometimes is time consuming for patients and/or their parents. Some patients might do “shopping” for both before deciding on an appropriate one. This study was designed to identify factors affecting the choice of patients or their guardians when choosing a practice. Methods: Methods: Methods: All participants to take the questionnaire were 18 years and above and if under 18 their guardians were asked to fill in the questionnaire. The questions where presented both in English with a translation to “Arabic”, the national language. The questionnaire consisted of 37 items covering various domains about the practitioner and his/her practice. The orthodontic offices were first contacted and those who accepted to participate in the study were paid a visit. For standardization, one of the authors was in charge of explaining the questionnaire to both the orthodontist and the staff. Responses were given on a visual analog scale (VAS) Results: Results: Results: Respondents (n=237) answered the questionnaire and females (66.1%) were predominant over males (33.9%). The Top scores were on items discussing the clinic in terms of “cleanness” followed equally by both “a clinic that operates on time” and “a clinic that uses the latest orthodontic technology and equipments”. Conclusions: Conclusions: The lusions: orthodontic practice tidiness and being up-to-date and punctualityseems to be the most important factor in patient’s selection. Both novice and currently practicing orthodontists should be aware about the most important factors that patients or their guardians consider when they are making their minds and choosing an orthodontic practice.