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. 2011 Oct;140(4):520-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2010.10.023.

Evaluation of retention protocols among members of the American Association of Orthodontists in the United States

Michael C Pratt  1 , George Thomas Kluemper, James K Hartsfield Jr, David Fardo, David A Nash
Affiliations

Evaluation of retention protocols among members of the American Association of Orthodontists in the United States

Michael C Pratt et al. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2011 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: Little research has been conducted to evaluate protocols and trends in orthodontic retention. The purpose of this study was to identify the general retention protocols used by orthodontists in the United States. Additionally, our goal was to identify trends in these orthodontic retention protocols by evaluating how they have changed over the past 5 years and how they might continue to change in the next 5 years.

Methods: The study was conducted via a 36-question electronic survey (REDCap, Nashville, Tenn) with branching logic on certain questions. The survey was sent to all 9143 practicing members of the American Association of Orthodontists in the United States, and 1632 (18%) responded.

Results and conclusions: Mean retention protocols of the surveyed population showed predominant use of Hawley or vacuum-formed retainers in the maxillary arch and fixed retention in the mandibular arch. For both arches, there is a current shift away from Hawley retainers and toward vacuum-formed retainers and fixed retention. Respondents who extract fewer teeth reported increased use of fixed retention in the maxillary (P = 0.041) and mandibular (P = 0.003) arches. Respondents who extract fewer teeth and use removable retainers were more likely to tell their patients to wear their retainers at night for the rest of their lives (P = 1.63 × 10(-6)).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no commercial, proprietary, or financial interest in the products or companies described in this article.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Mean responses of retainer types used. VFR, Vacuum-formed retainer.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Orthodontists’ perceptions of patient compliance with Hawley vs vacuum-formed reatiners. VFR, Vacuum-formed retainer.
Fig 3
Fig 3
Changes in retainer use over the past 5 years and projections for the next 5 years. VFR, Vacuum-formed retainer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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