Evaluation of the effect of different digital set-up images on patients' aesthetic perception and desire for orthodontic treatment: A survey study

The aim of this study is to evaluate the motivations and expectations of patients and their parents regarding orthodontic treatment and to evaluate the desire and motivation to receive treatment in patients who are digitally shown at the beginning of the treatment how their teeth will look at the end of the treatment. In addition, by using digital plans (set-ups) in which malocclusion is corrected in various forms, it is evaluated to what extent patients who have not received orthodontic treatment, their parents and patients who have received orthodontic treatment perceive which malocclusion and which image is considered more attractive. In the first stage of the study, patients between the ages of 15-18 who had not received orthodontic treatment before and their parents were included. Written survey questions were asked to patients and their parents about their orthodontic treatment motivations, concerns and expectations, and a 3D intraoral scan was taken from the patients (Trios3 (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark)). These digital scanning models were imported into the OnyxCeph3TM (Image Instruments, Chemnitz, Germany) program. In the program, a simulation was created for each patient, showing how the teeth would appear at the end of orthodontic treatment, and these images were shown to the patients and their parents. It was evaluated whether there was a change in orthodontic treatment willingness after the digital images were shown. In the second stage, 16 different digitally modified images were created using the intraoral scanning model of a patient with complex malocclusion to evaluate the perception of malocclusion. These images were shown to the same patient and parent groups that were surveyed in the first stage, as well as to the group of patients receiving orthodontic treatment. According to our results, parents and patients request orthodontic treatment mostly due to aesthetic concerns. Parents think that their children need orthodontic treatment more than their children and they want orthodontic treatment more than their children. After the digital treatment end set-up was shown, there was a statistically significant increase in the willingness to receive orthodontic treatment score in both patients and parents. When the modified simulation images were evaluated, the group receiving orthodontic treatment gave the lowest scores and the simulations with openbite correction were found to be the most attractive in all groups.