Parental Satisfaction with Their Children’s Rapid Palatal Expansion Treatment Provided by Orthodontists and Pediatric Dentists

BACKGROUND: Dentofacial problems have a definitive impact on patients’ psychological well-being, quality of life, and satisfaction. Therefore, patients’ satisfaction with their dentition should be an essential goal for dental caregivers. AIM: To compare parental satisfaction with their children’s rapid palatal expansion treatment outcome provided by orthodontists and pediatric dentists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors reviewed 605 medical records and contacted 134 parents whose children received early orthodontic treatment from orthodontists and pediatric dentists using a rapid palatal expander. Eighty-eight parents (65.7%) responded to a validated questionnaire about patients’ satisfaction with orthodontic treatment outcomes. RESULTS: At baseline; there were no significant differences in relation to parent-related demographic variables. However, there were statistically significant differences between patients’ ages and treatment duration (p < 0.001). Independent t-tests showed statistically significant differences in the means for the subscales of doctor–patient relationship and situational aspects (p < 0.05). Spearman’s rho correlation coefficients and multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the overall satisfaction is significantly related to, and can be predicted by, parents’ educational level, child’s gender, and the specialty of the dentist who provided the treatment (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Overall parental satisfaction with their children’s rapid palatal expansion treatment is significantly higher when provided by pediatric dentists as compared with orthodontists. Factors related to doctor–patient relationship and situational aspects (ie, office location and design, appointment waiting, and treatment duration) significantly impacted parental satisfaction.