Orthodontists’ consensus on patients’ awareness about orthodontic treatment risk (clinical audit)

Background: Providing the patient with an evidence-based overview of the orthodontic therapy risks is a crucial part of clinical practice. This is necessary for obtaining valid consent, facilitating collaborative decision-making, and providing person-centered care. This study aimed to assess the orthodontist’s agreement on patients’ alertness about certain orthodontic treatment risks as part of the consent form.

Methods: This online survey of Iraqi orthodontists ran from May to September 2020. A custom questionnaire was created using Google Forms and distributed within a Telegram group for the Iraqi Orthodontists Society.

Results: According to the survey, orthodontists concurred that patients should be informed about six hazards before providing consent: oral hygiene status (99%), patients’ poor compliance (99%), relapse risks (95.3%), and the need to modify eating habits to prevent appliance breakage (93.4%). The main controversies were found in regards to the importance of root resorption, incisor trauma, canine impaction complications, achieving desired tooth movements, ceramic brackets, and soft tissue injuries.

Conclusion: There are certain inherent risks that Iraqi orthodontists may overlook or undervalue, so greater emphasis is needed to raise awareness of them, likely through repeated programs of continuous education.