How does self-esteem influence oral health-related quality of life during the occlusal transition from childhood to adolescence: a 4-year follow-up

Objectives To evaluate the influence of self-esteem on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in the occlusal transition from childhood to adolescence. Materials and Methods This longitudinal observational study involved 785 children, ranging from mixed to permanent dentition, over a 4-year follow-up period. OHRQoL was assessed using the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ) for two age groups: 8 to 10 years for those in mixed dentition and 11 to 14 years for permanent dentition. Clinical variables related to malocclusion were evaluated using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI), and children’s self-esteem was measured using the Global Negative Self-Evaluation (GSE). Poisson regression analyses were conducted, with regression models adjusted to estimate relative risks and their respective 95% confidence intervals. A significance level of P < .20 was used for individual analyses, with an overall significance set at 5%. Results Individuals with low self-esteem had an 11%, 12%, 21%, and 20% higher risk of reporting a negative impact on OHRQoL in functional limitation, emotional well-being, social well-being, and total OHRQoL, respectively ( P < .05). Conclusions Self-esteem may contribute to decreased OHRQoL in the transition from childhood to adolescence. The findings suggest that the need for orthodontic treatment does not significantly alter this relationship in childhood and does not affect OHRQoL.