Tehran University of Medical Sciences Frontiers in Dentistry 2676-296X 22 0 2025 10 22 4958 4958 Atefe Saffar Shahroudi 1. Dental Research Center, Dentistry Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2. Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Rashin Bahrami Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2023 09 19 2024 08 17 Objectives: This study aimed to compare the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and self-perceived satisfaction of patients wearing Hawley (HR) or Essix retainer (ER) using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire. Materials and Methods: Sixty patients who had recently completed orthodontic treatment and received either an HR or ER were recruited. Participants completed the OHIP-14 questionnaire one week (T1) and two months (T2) after receiving their retainers. Self-perceived satisfaction with the retainers was also recorded. Results: The ER group showed significantly lower overall OHIP-14 scores than the HR group at both T1 and T2. In 14 OHIP items, HR scored higher in all except “sense of taste” (T1 and T2), “unsatisfactory diet” (T1), and “uncomfortable eating” (T2). From T1 to T2, overall OHIP-14 scores decreased significantly in both groups, with reductions in 10 items for ER and 8 items for HR. The mean satisfaction score (out of 3) was higher for ER (2.5±0.5) than for HR (1.23±0.43), and satisfaction increased significantly in both groups over time. Conclusion: ER had less negative impact on OHRQoL than HR. After two months, most OHIP-14 dimensions showed improvement in both groups, indicating patient adaptation to retainers and reduced discomfort over time. Adaptation was slightly greater with ER, and overall satisfaction was higher compared to HR. https://fid.tums.ac.ir/index.php/fid/article/view/4958 https://fid.tums.ac.ir/index.php/fid/article/download/4958/2191