Oral Health Related Quality of Life of Patients on Fixed and Removable Orthodontic Appliances

Abstract

Objective: Quality of life is defined as the discrepancy between our expectations and experiences. In the field of orthodontics, there is a longstanding recognition that malocclusion and dentofacial anomalies can produce immense physical, social and psychological upset. The study aimed at assessing the age, sex and socioeconomic status of patients using fixed and removable orthodontic appliances evaluating the possible change in their quality of life during fixed or removable appliance orthodontic therapy.

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out among patients attending the Orthodontic Clinic of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Edo State who were on fixed and removable appliances for various orthodontic reasons. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)-14 questionnaire was used for data collection and was self-administered. The questionnaires were administered at baseline and two months into treatment.

Results: Most of the study participants were in the 16-20 years old age group (44.4%), females made up (53.5%) and most participants were of the low socioeconomic status (63.6%). Participants aged 10 years and below had more of physical pain while those within the 11-15 years age group had more of psychological and social disability. The 26-30 years age group had more functional limitation and psychological discomfort while participants aged 30 years and above experienced more handicap due to the presence of orthodontic appliance in the mouth. More males had functional limitation and social disability while females had physical pain, psychological discomfort, physical disability and psychological disability. Participants of the low socioeconomic status had more psychological disability, social disability and handicap. Participants of the middle socioeconomic group had more functional limitation, physical pain, psychological discomfort and physical disability due to the presence of orthodontic appliance in the mouth.

Conclusion: The general OHIP-14 score reduced when comparing the score at baseline of orthodontic treatment to the score during treatment. Therefore, the oral health related quality of life of the participants improved as orthodontic treatment progressed.