Professional Assessment of Orthodontic Retention Protocol Compliance in Tertiary Dental Centres in South South Nigeria

Orthodontic relapse due to inadequate retention compliance is a significant clinical and resource challenge, and professional assessment of retention protocols at South South Nigerian dental centres provides evidence for improving long-term orthodontic outcomes. This study assessed orthodontic retention protocol compliance and relapse rates at three tertiary dental centres: University of Benin Teaching Hospital, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, and University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. A retrospective clinical audit of 142 completed orthodontic cases from 2018 to 2022 was combined with a cross-sectional survey of 45 attending orthodontists and dental officers. Retention protocol documentation, retainer type, patient compliance instructions, and relapse assessment at 12-month review were evaluated. Only 34.5 percent of case files contained a documented retention protocol. Fixed retainers were placed in 47.9 percent of completed cases, removable retainers in 38.0 percent, and 14.1 percent had no retainer documented. At 12-month review, relapse in at least one tooth was noted in 39.4 percent of reviewed cases. Patient compliance with removable retainer wear was rated as poor by attending clinicians in 48.1 percent of cases. Recommendations include adopting standardised retention protocol documentation in all three centres, increasing fixed retention use for high-relapse risk cases, providing written and visual retainer care instructions to patients, and conducting recall audits for all orthodontic patients at 12 and 24 months post-treatment.

Keywords: orthodontic retention, compliance, relapse, South South Nigeria, tertiary dental centres