Parents' preferences regarding appearance and attire of orthodontists.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate parents' preferences regarding the appearance and attire of orthodontists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Parents attending their child's first orthodontic appointment were asked to choose from among sets of photographs of potential orthodontic providers. Selected factors were varied within the sets, including sex and age of the provider as well as attire (casual, formal, white coat, or scrubs), hairstyle (loose or tied back for women, facial hair or clean shaven for men), and presence of a nametag. RESULTS: A total of 77 parents participated. There were significant differences in choice of provider in terms of the provider's sex (P<.0001), age (P=.0013), dress (P<.0001), hair (P<.0001), and nametag (P=.0065). There were no significant differences in preference attributable to parent characteristics (P>.05). CONCLUSION: Parents of orthodontic patients demonstrated clear preferences for choosing a provider related to factors that are not within the control of the practitioner (sex and age) as well as factors that can be changed by the practitioner (attire, hairstyle, and wearing a nametag).