COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF TREATMENT DURATION AND PATIENT SATISFACTION AMONG FIXED APPLIANCE THERAPY, MYOFUNCTIONAL APPLIANCE AND CLEAR ALIGNER THERAPY (2023-2025): A RETROSPECTIVE QUESTIONNAIRE-BASED STUDY

Abstract

Two important factors that affect orthodontic treatment outcomes are the length of treatment and patient satisfaction. The effectiveness and patient-reported results of various orthodontic techniques might differ greatly.

Aim: To compare treatment duration and patient satisfaction between fixed appliance therapy, clear aligner therapy and myofunctional appliance therapy.

Materials and Methods: A comparison research using a retrospective questionnaire was carried out on 105 individuals who received care between 2023 and 2025. Patients were differentiated into three groups (n=35 each): Fixed appliances, Clear aligners and Myofunctional appliances. The length of treatment (months) was taken from records of the patients from the Department of Orthodontics . A 50-point Orthodontic Patient Satisfaction Index (OPSI) was used to evaluate patient satisfaction. The questionnaire was pre-tested on 10 patients to assess clarity and internal consistency. Pearson correlation and one-way ANOVA were used for statistical analysis.

Results: Clear Aligners (6.11 ± 1.11 months) had shorter mean treatment durations followed by Fixed appliance therapy (12.06 ± 2.01 months) and Myofunctional appliance therapy (15.86 ± 1.88 months) . Most satisfied were the Clear Aligner group (90.06%) followed by Fixed appliances (70.12%) and Myofunctional appliances (46.18%). A statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) was observed. Treatment duration and satisfaction had a very strong negative correlation (r = -0.93).

Conclusion: Clear aligner therapy demonstrated short duration for treatment and provided superior patient satisfaction on the other hand fixed appliance modality followed by myofunctional therapy exhibit longer treatment duration and also showed low satisfaction.