Preadolescent's oral health-related quality of life during the first month of fixed orthodontic appliance therapy

Abstract

Objectives To evaluate preadolescent oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) during the first month of fixed orthodontic appliance therapy.

Design Descriptive study.

Setting The Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics at Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Participants This study included a sample of 96 preadolescent children aged between 11 and 12 years undergoing orthodontic treatment with a fixed appliance.

Methods Preadolescent children were required to answer the short form of the Brazilian version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ11–14) before treatment (T0) and 1 month after placement of the fixed appliance (T1). Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and the Bonferroni correction for the domains of CPQ11–14.

Results Out of the 96 patients originally admitted, one gave up the treatment before the placement of bands and one failed to return the second questionnaire (T1). So, a sample of 94 preadolescents participated in this study, with a response rate of 97·9%. Among the 94 participants, 49 were females (52·1 %) and 45 were males (47·9 %). The mean age was 11·5 years (SD = 0·502). There was a statistically significant improvement in emotional well-being domain (P<0·001) as well as in the overall score (P = 0·032). However, there were no significant changes in oral symptoms, functional limitations and social well-being domains (P>0·013) before treatment and 1 month after the placement of fixed appliance.

Conclusion One month after the placement of fixed orthodontic appliance, the preadolescents had positive alterations in their OHRQoL mainly in the emotional well-being domain.