The Relationship between Malocclusion Severity and Quality of Life in North Iran Students

Abstract

<strong><em><span>Background</span></em></strong><br /> <span>A malocclusion is a misalignment or incorrect relation between the teeth of the two </span><span><span>dental arches</span></span><span> when they approach each other as the </span><span><span>jaws</span></span><span> close. Considering the prevalence of malocclusion and its role in quality of life </span><span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">(</span></span><span>QOL</span><span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">)</span></span><span>, we aimed to investigate the relationship between need of orthodontic treatment and QOL in North Iran students.</span><br /> <strong><em><span>Materials and Methods</span></em></strong><br /> <span>This is a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study; the sample size was estimated to be 270 students using a two-stage sampling method. After entering the study, the Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ)</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"> was completed for each student. Need of orthodontic treatment was assessed based on the</span><span><span lang="EN"> dental health component of</span></span><span> index of treatment need (IOTN). SPSS software version 22.0 was used for data analysis.</span><br /> <strong><em><span>Results</span></em></strong><br /> <span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">274</span></span><span> students (133 boys and 141 girls) participated in this study. The mean age was 14.86 ±0.54. The mean QOL scores were 13.31±11.78 and it was not significant statistically in boys and girls (P=0.893). Mean QOL scores were not statistically significant (P = 0.306) according to grade of IOTN. Grade 2 had the highest frequency (37.2%) with the lowest mean score of QOL (11.65±10.31), and Grade 5 had the lowest frequency (2.6%) with the highest mean score of QOL (15.83±7.78). IOTN was not statistically significant in both groups (P>0.05).</span><br /> <strong><em><span>Conclusion</span></em></strong><br /> <span>In our study, students with dental malocclusion had the lowest QOL, although no significant relationship was observed. Almost a quarter of students needed orthodontic treatment. The most common malocclusion was displacement of contact points. </span>