LAUSR

Abstract Background Compliance with retainer wear is one of the most challenging aspects of orthodontic treatment and is a concern to all orthodontists. Objectives To determine whether there is a statistically significant difference in compliance in retainer wear during the first year posttreatment. Methods A total of 320 patients were randomly selected from the electronic health records of the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). The records were hand-searched for completeness, with age, sex, retainer type, and insurance as the categories. Incomplete records were immediately excluded. A descriptive analysis of the frequency and percentage distribution of variables was made. Categorical data were tested with Fisher exact tests and continuous data with analysis of variance. Results Patient compliance between the 15- to 18-year-old age group and the group older than 24 years, treatment duration over 30 months, Hawley retainers, and state insurance all proved significant ( P Conclusions Compliance with retainer wear declines substantially from the initial visit to the final visit. The most compliant patients over this time period wore the Hawley retainer. Patients with state insurance are the least compliant at both time points.