The Impact of Mixed Dentition Malocclusion on the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life for Children and Their Families: A Case-Control Study.

ABSTRACT

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between malocclusion in mixed dentition and its impact on the oral health-related quality of life OHRQoL of children and their families as well to determine if there were any reported differences in OHRQoL due to malocclusion severity. Study design: A total of 144 subjects, which included 70 children (aged 8-10 years) and their parents, were recruited on the basis of predetermined criteria and divided into the following groups children with malocclusion (case group) and children without malocclusion (control group). The OHRQoL was assessed using the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ8-10) and the Family Impact Scale (FIS). The severity of malocclusion was assessed using the Dental Aesthetic Index. The specific types of malocclusions (anterior open bite, anterior/ posterior crossbite and overjet) and their severity were considered for the statistical analyses by applying the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests, respectively, with a set at p<0.05. Results: The CPQ8-10 and FIS scores demonstrated higher impact on OHRQoL in the case group (p<0.01). There were no reported differences in OHRQoL according to the dental aesthetic index severity (p>0.05) and no differences between specific types of malocclusion (p>0.05) Conclusions: Mixed dentition malocclusion impacted the oral-health quality of life for children and their families independently of the severity.