%0 Journal Article
%T Impact of malocclusion on oral health-related quality of life in young adults.
%A Chen M
%A Feng ZC
%A Liu X
%A Li ZM
%A Cai B
%A Wang DW
%J Angle Orthod
%V 85
%N 6
%D Nov 2015
%M 25531421
%F 2.684
%R 10.2319/101714-743.1
%X <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>To assess oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in young adult patients with malocclusion and to measure the association between orthodontic treatment need and OHRQoL.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>The study sample comprised 190 young adults aged 18 to 25 years who were attending orthodontic clinics at the Faculty of Dentistry. The Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need-Dental Health Component was used to measure orthodontic treatment need. Each participant was assessed for OHRQoL before and after treatment by using the Oral Health Impact Profile, Chinese version (OHIP-14).<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Patients who had little or no, borderline, and actual need for orthodontic treatment represented 21.6%, 50.5%, and 27.9% of the total sample, respectively. OHRQoL (total OHIP-14 score and score for each domain) improved after treatment (P < .05). Significant differences in summary OHIP-14 scores were apparent with respect to orthodontic treatment need. Participants with high treatment need reported a significantly greater negative impact on the overall OHRQoL score. The greatest impact was seen in the psychological discomfort domain and the psychological disability domain.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Malocclusion has a significant negative impact on OHRQoL. This is greatest for the psychological discomfort and psychological disability domains. The orthodontic treatment of malocclusion improves OHRQoL of patients.