Objective: To evaluate how mini-screw anchorage are perceived by patients as well as their degree of satisfaction regarding their orthodontic treatment.
Material and methods: A questionnaire was handed out to the study population which comprising 137 patients all undergoing orthodontic treatment, without exclusion criteria.
Results: Out of the total number of 230 questionnaires distributed to patients, only 137 (60%) questionnaires were returned (sample 1) bearing in mind that 29 patients (21.2%) were fitted with a mini-screw (sample 2). In sample 2, 86.20% of patients showed no sign of mini-screw instability during treatment. The majority of patients (62.10%) reported no pain when the mini-screws were inserted (62.1%) and among the 37.9% who did feel pain, 60% were boys and 26.3% were girls, without significant difference, P<0.11. Post-op pain decreased steadily between day 1 and day 7 regardless of the orthodontic technique used (P>0.5). When pain was felt during the 7-day period, it was significantly greater for initial tooth alignment than for micro-implant surgery (P<0.05). Most patients declared themselves satisfied with the orthodontic treatment using anchorage devices, with a 72.4% satisfaction rate.
Conclusion: Overall, the use of mini-screw anchorage devices during orthodontic treatment is well accepted by patients. The stability rate is high with predictable results. Post-op pain is significantly lower than orthodontic alignment pain.
Keywords: Mini-screws; Orthodontic treatment; Pain; Patient perception/satisfaction.
Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.