Orthodontic appliances desing preference among university students from different courses

Vol. 15 – Number 58 – 2022 Original article Page 83-90 Orthodontic appliances desing preference among university students from different courses Maria Verônica Rodrigues Conto¹ Victor França Didier² Victor de Miranda Ladewig² Thais Maria Freire Fernandes³ Paula Vanessa Pedron Oltramari³ Ana Claudia de Castro Ferreira Conti³ Abstract The aim of the present research was to evaluate the preference of young university students from courses of the health, science, and human areas regarding different orthodontic appliance design. Two (models) young individuals were selected, one male and one female. Then 6 images were made simulating orthodontic appliances for each model. After producing a photo album with all the images, the albums have been given to university students (n=169) aged between 18 and 25 years old, along with a questionnaire. Three groups of evaluators from different areas of knowledge: Health (n=62), Science (n=51) an Human area (n=56) were formed. In the questionnaire, the evaluators identified which device they would prefer if they were treated, indicating the order of their preference on the 6 images. They also answered the reason for choosing that device model. Aligners had higher ratings than aesthetic devices (5.0). On the other hand, metallic appliances were the worst evaluated (2.0). There was no influence of the study area and the evaluator’s gender on the hierarchy of attractiveness in the evaluation, however female evaluators from the Health area were more critical regarding metallic braces with blue ligature. Although the study area did not influence the preference for the type of appliance, with the most aesthetic being preferred over metallic ones, the most critical evaluations came from students in the Health area. Descriptors: Orthodontic, orthodontic brackets, orthodontic appliance design, perception. ¹ Graduation – Unopar. ² Postgraduate – Unopar. ³ Postgraduate – Unopar, Postgraduate – UNIDERP. DOI: 10.24077/2022;1558-01988127