Impact of Malocclusion on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of 8-12 Years Old Schoolchildren in Southern Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of malocclusion on the oral healthrelated quality of life (OHRQoL) of schoolchildren aged 8-12 years old in Southern Brazil. A two-stage cluster procedure was used to select 1,199 children in 20 public and private schools in Pelotas/Brazil. Cross-sectional data was collected, consisting of a socioeconomic questionnaire to parents, children's interview and clinical oral examination. The clinical variables were obtained from clinical examination, and the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ) was assessed during children's interview. To measure malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need the Dental Aesthetic Index was used. For data analysis multiple Poisson regression models estimating the rate ratios (RR) and their respective confidence intervals (95%CI) were used. Among 1,206 participants, 789 were aged 8-10 years and 417 between 11-12 years. The orthodontic treatment need was higher among the younger children (44.6%) than in the older ones (35.0%) (p value ≤0.05). There was a significant association in the CPQ social and emotional domains with malocclusion in the older schoolchildren. In the adjusted analysis (for socioeconomics and clinical variables) the effect of very severe malocclusion on OHRQoL was confirmed in both 8-10 and 11-12 age groups (RR(95%CI) of 1.24(1.02;1.51) and 1.28(1.01;1.62), respectively). The findings demonstrated that children with very severe malocclusion experienced greater negative impact on OHRQoL compared to those with mild or no malocclusion. The results suggest that malocclusion impacts the quality of life. The higher impact occurs in the social and emotional well-being domains.

The impact of crown fracture in the permanent dentition on children’s quality of life

“…18 Children were categorized into 3 groups of dental caries experience in the permanent dentition (0, 1-4 and >4 number of teeth with dental caries). 13 For the DAI, the reference used for absence of malocclusion was <25 and for presence ≥25, 19 and overjet considered absence was 0-3 mm and presence >3 mm, 20 both used as confounding variables. Traumatic dental injuries were classified using the criteria proposed by Andreasen et al, 21 and they were categorized as the absence of TDI, enamel fracture or enamel-dentin fracture.…”

Impact of anterior occlusal conditions in the mixed dentition on oral health–related quality-of-life item levels:

“…The findings rejected the study hypothesis because, even when the quality of life was evaluated based on the item levels, the anterior occlusal characteristics in the mixed dentition had no impact on the OHRQoL. Previous studies 3,4,7,8,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] showed that an increased overjet and increased spacing, especially a midline diastema, were the conditions that most affected the individual, regardless of age. Still, the older children become, the more their malocclusion affects their a Values are given as n (%).…”

Pacifier use modifies the association between breastfeeding and malocclusion: a cross-sectional study

“…Malocclusion in the primary dentition may increase the risk of malocclusion in the mixed and permanent dentition. 23 The upshot is impaired oral health-related quality of life. 24 The findings of a previous literature review 25 reinforce the benefits of adopting exclusive breastfeeding practices and avoiding non-nutritive sucking habits to promote harmonic craniofacial growth, with lifelong benefits.…”