Impact of malocclusion on the quality of life of children aged 8 to 10 years

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to assess the impact of malocclusion on the quality of life of children aged 8 to 10 years attending public elementary schools in Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: The Brazilian version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire 8-10 (CPQ8-10) was used to evaluate oral health-related quality of life. The children were examined for the diagnosis of malocclusion using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). The data were analyzed by bivariate and multivariate descriptive statistics using Poisson regression at a 5% significance level. A total of 270 children participated in the study. Results: Children with normal occlusion or mild malocclusion (DAI ≤ 25) were 56% less likely (95%CI: 0.258-0.758; p= 0.003) to have their quality of life affected compared with children diagnosed with extremely severe malocclusion (DAI ≥ 36). Children with a maxillary anterior overjet ≥ 3 mm had higher CPQ8-10 mean scores (19.4; SD = 17.1) than those with an overjet < 3 mm (13.6; SD = 11.7; p= 0.038). Conclusions: Extremely severe malocclusion and pronounced maxillary anterior overjet were associated with a negative impact on quality of life.

摘要
目的：本横断面研究旨在评估错（牙合）畸形对巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州贝洛奥里藏特市公立小学8至10岁儿童生活质量的影响。
方法：采用儿童感知问卷8-10（Child Perceptions Questionnaire 8-10，CPQ8-10）的巴西本土化版本评估受试者的口腔健康相关生活质量；通过牙齿美观指数（Dental Aesthetic Index，DAI）对儿童进行错（牙合）畸形诊断检查。采用双变量与多变量描述性统计方法，以5%的显著性水平开展泊松回归分析处理数据。本研究共纳入270名儿童参与。
结果：与确诊为极重度错（牙合）畸形（DAI≥36）的儿童相比，咬合正常或轻度错（牙合）畸形（DAI≤25）的儿童生活质量受负面影响的概率低56%（95%置信区间：0.258~0.758；p=0.003）。上颌前牙覆盖≥3mm的儿童，其CPQ8-10平均得分（19.4；标准差（Standard Deviation，SD）=17.1）高于覆盖<3mm的儿童（13.6；SD=11.7；p=0.038）。
结论：极重度错（牙合）畸形与显著上颌前牙覆盖过大均会对儿童生活质量产生负面影响。