A cross-sectional study into the reasons behind orthodontic re-treatment.

Objective: This study aims to identify the motivations behind orthodontic re-treatment in Saudi Arabia.

Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study performed through a patient questionnaire. The questionnaire elicited data on the respondents' socio-demographic data, type of previous orthodontic treatment, retention, satisfaction level, and reasons for undergoing orthodontic re-treatment.

Results: Four hundred and nineteen responses were received during the study period from June to July 2022. The result showed a pre-dominant female predilection (83, 29%), with the majority belonging to the 21-25 age group (47.26%). Most participants had had one previous orthodontic treatment (77%), with an active treatment time of approximately 1-3 years (55.85%). There was no significant difference between the satisfaction of outcomes after the initial treatment and at the time of the survey. Most participants received retention appliances (69.45%) and were informed about the importance of appliances. The type of retention was mainly removable retainers (47.5%). Around one-third of the sample (31.98%) were interested in seeking orthodontic re-treatment, with self-motivation as the primary drive and improving the smile as the predominant reason.

Conclusion: The study's findings show that a large portion of the population is seeking orthodontic re-treatment, which must be considered. Self-motivation was a driving force rather than external motivation. The most common reason for seeking orthodontic re-treatment was to improve their smile and the increased esthetic demand.