Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare results of satisfaction of patients at different types of hospitals who are currently under orthodontia treatment and to determine the factors influencing their decision to revisit selected dental hospitals or recommend those dental hospitals to others. Methods: Data was obtained from orthodontic patients using self developed questionnare. Thus, a total of nine hospitals were selected from each of the three main types of dental hospitals: University dental hospitals, Network dental hospitals and Dental clinics. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 10.0 program. Results: The satisfaction factors that caused patients to revisit the same dental hospital were the kindness of the staff in the University dental hospital and in the Network dental hospital(p < 0.001). The staff s kindness and the hospital environment were the key influencing factors in the case of the Dental clinic(p < 0.05). The satisfaction factors that made patients recommend a hospital to others were the kindness of the staff in the University dental hospital and in the Dental clinic(p < 0.001), while staff kindness and easy access were decisive factors in the case of the Network dental hospital(p< 0.001). Conclusions: Regarding satisfaction with staff kindness, Network dental hospital was most highly evaluated, followed by the dental clinic, and University dental hospital was judged as the worst. This study results indicated that staff kindness is the most important influencing factor in determining whether or not a patient used a dental hospital repeatedly.