Motivation trends among Orthodontic patients in the Capital Territory of Islamabad

Abstract

Introduction: Motivation serves as the driving force behind all human action so it is important to correlate this aspect of human psychology with orthodontic treatment. Not only will this give dentists insights as to how to increase patient compliance, but it will also serve as an effective tool for improved treatment planning.

Methodology: A pre-validated structured questionnaire was used for this study, conducted across a period of 5 months, dated April to August 2025, at the government hospital, School of Dentistry, SZABMU, Islamabad to determine intrinsic or extrinsic motivation tendency. Participants were classified according to the predominant motivation type, determined by the higher subscale score. Group differences were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Results: Our study concluded that among the sample size of 1500 participants the majority (912) inclined towards intrinsic motivational patterns as indicated by Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Furthermore, demographic factors such as increasing age and female gender were more likely to be associated with intrinsic motivation whereas factors such as unemployment and lower academic level were closely associated with extrinsic motivational trends.

Conclusions: The findings revealed a significant relationship between motivational patterns and demographic factors. Orthodontists are advised to consider these factors to enhance the effectiveness and success of their treatments.