To characterize self-reported oral-hygiene assessment practices, awareness of standardized indices, perceived implementation barriers, preferred characteristics of a standardized approach, and anticipated implementation support among orthodontic care providers recruited through professional networks in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

An exploratory analytical cross-sectional electronic survey was distributed during 2026 through professional networks in Egypt and Saudi Arabia to orthodontists, postgraduate orthodontic residents, and dental clinicians currently providing fixed orthodontic treatment. The 33-item, literature-informed and Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)-mapped questionnaire was used as an exploratory implementation profile, not as a validated psychometric readiness scale. Descriptive statistics, ceiling-effect analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and HC3-robust multiple linear regression were used for hypothesis-generating analyses.

A total of 405 complete records were analysed with no missing item data. Item-level agreement ranged from 79.3 to 98.5%, but all 33 items showed ceiling effects (top-category responses: 25.2–67.2%). Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin adequacy was 0.794; Bartlett's test was significant (χ ² (528) = 4471.34, P < 0.001); and parallel analysis retained five factors explaining 44.6% of variance. The three-item exploratory implementation-support cluster showed α = 0.660. Preference for practical indices (β = 0.162, P = 0.026) and recognition of implementation barriers (β = 0.177, P = 0.014) were associated with higher implementation-support scores in the exploratory model (R ² = 0.157). These same-survey associations do not establish adoption, feasibility, or a validated readiness construct.

Respondents expressed highly positive self-reported attitudes toward standardized oral-hygiene outcome assessment and identified anticipated implementation conditions centred on simplicity, training, time, and documentation. These findings are hypothesis-generating and do not establish actual clinical performance, feasibility, adoption, or psychometrically validated readiness.