Method: One hundred adolescent individuals, ages 12 – 16, completed an anonymous electronic questionnaire via Survey Monkey. The 24-item questionnaire contained three major sections: patient demographics, a modified BFI-10 personality index, and a willingness to undergo treatment assessment. The modified BFI-10 classifies an individual’s personality into one of five potential dimensions: Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Openness. Multiple-variable linear regression analysis was used to determine the associations of age, gender, ethnicity, and the five personality traits with potential willingness to undergo treatment. Statistical significance was set at p<.05.
Result: Four surveys were excluded from statistical analysis due to improper completion, therefore, 96 surveys were analyzed. The regression analysis revealed that no significant association was found between patient age, gender, or ethnicity and patient willingness to undergo orthodontic treatment. Agreeableness and neuroticism both demonstrated a mild but statistically significant (p<.05) association with a patient’s potential willingness to undergo several of the identified orthodontic treatments. No significant associations were observed with individuals from the Conscientiousness, Extraversion, or Openness personality dimensions.
Conclusion: An association was observed between patient personality and their potential willingness to undergo certain orthodontic treatments. The prediction of future compliance was greatest with individuals from the Agreeableness personality dimension. With further research, patient personality indexing may become a useful assessment method for orthodontists seeking to predict a patient's willingness to participate in various orthodontic treatments.