Psycho-social impact of orthodontic treatment in Romanian teenagers and young adults

Abstract

Background and aimsThis survey evaluated the psycho-social impact of oral health on the quality of life in Romanian teenage and young adult orthodontic patients.MethodsOf the 300 standard questionnaires distributed in four dental offices, 125 questionnaires were returned. Each questionnaire contained 110 items, focusing on aspects like patients’ satisfaction, self-confidence, school/work performances and aesthetic concern, in relation to oral health. The patients were 16–25 years of age and all were undergoing or had undergone orthodontic treatment in the previous two years. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science software (SPSS), version 19.0.Results57.90% of the orthodontic patients participating in this study were happy about their dental status, 56.52% declared themselves not shy because of their oral health issues, 52.33% considered themselves as attractive to other people, and 57.29% replied (awarding a score between 8 and 10) that they were confident when smiling. Regarding self-confidence and school/work performances, 58% of the participants declared they avoided speaking in public because of the aspect of their teeth and 47.42% considered that their school/work performances during the fix appliance therapy stayed the same as before appliance. Nevertheless, the self-perceived facial aspect improved during orthodontic treatment (64.74% of replies had scores between 8 and 10 during the treatment versus 24.67% before the treatment). Several correlations were found between aspects such as psycho-social and functional variables, physical self-evaluation, and oral health issues.ConclusionPatients’ satisfaction was improved during and after appliance therapy, for more than half of the participants. Self-confidence was low in relation to school/work performances; almost half of the patients reported stagnation in their school/work performances during the fix appliance therapy. However, more than 64% of the patients participating in this study were quite satisfied about their facial aspect during and after the orthodontic treatment. Thus, the common concerns of the patients anxious about their aspect during appliance therapy are not supported by the findings of this study.

Do Specific Craniomaxillofacial Features Correlate with Psychological Distress in Adult Pretreatment Orthodontic Patients? A Cephalometric Study

“…Cephalograms do not provide the means to evaluate these facial profile characteristics precisely and therefore may explain why such differences between the two groups were not observed. Another explanation may be that females were divided into two groups by other uncontrolled confounding variables such as dental aesthetics, occlusal function, periodontal or mucosal health status, and psychosocial impacts [ 2 , 51 ], which in distressed female patients have much stronger effects. These factors may weakly related to the measured parameters, so the craniomaxillofacial morphological differences cannot be observed.…”

“…Orthodontic patients with craniomaxillofacial deformities or unattractive dentition are more likely to experience psychological distress due to decreased self-esteem and confidence [ 1 , 2 ]. Around 44% to 63% of orthodontic patients declare that their facial appearance problems adversely affect their personal or social life [ 3 ].…”

Orthodontic Adolescent Patients’ Attitudes toward Protective Face Mask Wearing during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…As they cover the nose and mouth of the patients, and the area around them [ 17 ], protective face masks also cover the fixed orthodontic appliances bonded on the buccal surface of the teeth, which are visible in smile and speech. For some patients this aspect could potentially cause frustration, since the desire for orthodontic treatment among teenagers has been proven to be high [ 18 ], and patients are usually satisfied with their facial aspect during the orthodontic treatment [ 19 ]. The question was raised whether the necessity to cover the orthodontic appliance with a face mask could cause teenagers to be less interested in undergoing a necessary orthodontic treatment, especially because often braces are perceived as being an elective luxury and a symbol of status, wealth, and style [ 20 ], or whether it could nurture a disobedience towards the mandatory wearing of face masks.…”

Uso de Alinhadores Invisíveis Removíveis na Dentição Mista: uma Revisão de Literatura

“…Nas últimas décadas, houve uma crescente busca de tratamentos estéticos odontológicos e, consequentemente, uma maior procura pelo tratamento ortodôntico 4 . Dessa forma, com intuito de mitigar o desconforto estético e físico, Zia Chishti e Kelsey Wirth, estudantes da Universidade de Stanford, no ano de 1998, difundiram um aparelho a partir de um conjunto de moldeiras de material termoplástico, de espessura fina e transparente, recobrindo as superfícies vestibulares, linguais/palatinas e oclusais dos dentes, denominando de alinhadores invisíveis removíveis (AIR), criando assim o sistema Invisalign® (Align Technology Inc) 5 .…”