Acceptance of potential risks in adult orthodontic patients and the influence of personality traits

Abstract

Objectives: To determine acceptance of potential risks in orthodontic treatment and whether it could be affected by personality traits of patients. Materials and Methods: Two hundred sixty-one adult participants consulting for orthodontic treatment were involved in this cross-sectional study. Acceptance of 18 orthodontic risks was investigated with a structured questionnaire. Personality traits of included patients were assessed with a validated Chinese version of the Big Five Inventory. Statistical analyses were performed as appropriate, and potential correlations were identified using multivariate binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Acceptability of the investigated orthodontic risks ranged from 47.1% to 87.0%, with periodontitis being the least accepted. Length of treatment (P ¼ .015) and relapse (P ¼ .007) were more unacceptable to older patients. Female participants showed less tolerance to periodontitis (P ¼ .017) than male counterparts. Among the five dimensions of personality traits, conscientiousness was significantly associated with acceptance of tooth extraction and associated risks (odds ratio [OR] ¼ 1.131, P ¼ .002), problems eating (OR ¼ 1.182, P, .001), problems speaking (OR ¼ 1.111, P ¼ .022), and appliance breakage (OR ¼ 1.109, P ¼ .008), while openness was a significant predictor to the acceptance of length of treatment (OR ¼ 1.090, P ¼ .044). Conclusions: Among patients seeking orthodontic treatment, periodontitis was the least accepted risk. A significant association was found between the acceptance of certain orthodontic risks and personality traits, especially conscientiousness and openness. (Angle Orthod. 2025;95:296–303.).