Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHQoL) among Adolescents Seeking Orthodontic Treatment

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different orthodontic treatment needs on the OHQoL of adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 200 subjects (100 males and 100 females), 11 to 15 years of age were recruited for the study. OHQoL was assessed with the short form of the oral health impact profile (OHIP-14), and malocclusion severity was assessed with the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN). The Chi-square test was used to analyse the qualitative data. The level of significance was 0.05. RESULTS: The more severe the malocclusion the worse was the impact on the OHQoL. Orthodontic treatment need had almost similar impact on the daily activities of both males and females. Pronunciation and taste was not significantly affected by the need for orthodontic treatment in either males or females. The proportions of orthodontic patients who found it uncomfortable to eat any food and had to interrupt their meals were significantly correlated with orthodontic treatment needs in both males and females. CONCLUSION: Orthodontic treatment need had an impact on OHQoL of adolescents with no significant difference between males and females. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Orthodontists should be aware of the impact caused by malocclusion and orthodontic treatment on the quality of life of the patients and should provide regular positive reinforcements to them.