The biennial AAO Economics of Orthodontics & Patient Census Survey was sent to actively practicing members in the United States and Canada on Thursday, June 1.

The AAO respectfully requests your help in completing the survey in its entirety by July 7, for the purpose of reporting meaningful practice and patient data to the membership and the public. You will be asked for information about your practice, and about patients you treat.

Each member who completes the survey by the deadline will be entered into a drawing for one of two $250 Visa gift cards..

For the patient census portion of the study, please report on the numbers of active patients that you are personally treating (numbers should be attributable to you and your patients only).  You may wish to gather this information or have a staff member gather it before beginning the survey:

You will be asked for 2016 numbers of:

  • Total patients (male & female)
  • Patients under age 8
  • Patients ages 8-17
  • Patients 18-34
  • Patients 35-50
  • Patients 51 and older
  • New patient examinations
  • Patient starts
  • Percentage of new patients who provided payment via…
    • Dental insurance that included orthodontic benefits
    • Flexible spending accounts
    • Outside credit service companies

The information you provide is vital to the AAO’s future planning efforts. As trends are observed and tracked about members’ practices and the patients we collectively serve, data will guide the AAO in development of products and services for your continued practice success. Further, as the voice of organized orthodontics, some information about patients in treatment is shared with the media for use in news stories about orthodontics, orthodontic treatment and orthodontists.

The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete (less time if the information listed above is compiled in advance).  Please be aware that the survey does not need to be finished in one sitting; it instructs users on how to “pause” and continue at a later time.

The information you provide is critical in helping the AAO understand the state of orthodontics. Following compilation and analysis of the survey results, the AAO willl publish a report for members, which many may find interesting and useful for benchmarking in their practices. AAO leaders are very appreciative of members’ time in completing the survey.