Psychological profiles and motives of adults seeking orthodontic treatment.

Personality profiles and the motivations for seeking orthodontic treatment were investigated in a sample of adult patients. An improvement in dental esthetics was found to be the prime motivating factor, and the decision to seek treatment was usually made by the adult patients themselves. Questionnaires to assess personality traits revealed an atypical group of patients demonstrating neurotic traits. These patients were found to have a significantly different perception of their malocclusion than did the "normal" group of adult patients. Patients with neurotic traits may pose problems for clinicians with regard to expectations both during and at the end of treatment.