Patient satisfaction and quality of life changes after Invisalign treatment

Abstract

Introduction: Our objective was to assess patient satisfaction and changes in oral health-related quality of life immediately after orthodontic treatment using the Invisalign system (Align Technology, Santa Clara, Calif).

Methods: Adult patients were recruited from private practices in Canada and surveyed using a combination of 2 validated questionnaires: Dental Impact of Daily Living and Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. This 94-question assessment focused on various dimensions of satisfaction and changes in quality of life. Multivariate analysis of variance, regression analysis, and canonical correlation analysis were applied in the data analysis.

Results: A total of 81 patients, 29.6% men and 70.4% women, exclusively treated with the Invisalign system participated. The most significant improvements were seen in the appearance and eating and chewing categories, with patients responding positively to more than 70% of the questions in those categories. Food packing between teeth, affecting 24% of the participants, and pain affecting 16% were the most common sources of dissatisfaction. However, these negative experiences were not strong enough to reduce the overall positive experience that patients reported. Appearance and dentofacial improvement were strongly correlated. Canonical correlation of the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire factors showed that doctor-patient relationship had a significant correlation with situational aspects, dentofacial improvement, and the residual category. Phrases from the doctor-patient relationship category such as "the orthodontist treated me with respect" and "carefully explained what treatment would be like" were associated with higher patient satisfaction.

Conclusions: Although positive changes in appearance and eating categories were linked with patient satisfaction, doctor-patient relationship was the factor that correlated better with multiple aspects of patient satisfaction.