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

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 (CPQ(8-10)) 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 CPQ(8-10) 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.