THE IMPACT OF MALOCCLUSIONS ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS. A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Aim: To investigate the impact of malocclusion on the quality of life and psychological status of patients. Materials and methods: All relevant literature published since 2009 was collected from five electronic databases. The study was carried out with the help of four conclusive search expressions. To make studies comparable, research articles that used the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) to measure Quality of Life and Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need for measuring Treatment Need were selected for the systematic review. A total of 20 relevant publications were selected for in-depth analysis. Results and discussion: There is very strong evidence that OHRQoL (Oral Health-related Quality of Life) is positively influenced by OT (Orthodontic Treatment). Facial aesthetics is the main motivation in undergoing OT. Significant dependencies in between personality traits and OHRQoL were observed in 5 studies. OT can induce considerable stress to patients, so that the treatment should be adapted to personality type. Concerning the impact of OT on mental health, the age at which treatment starts is a decisive factor. Patients with severe facial deformity show a significantly higher prevalence of negative personality traits, with variations influenced by gender, deformity, age and education. Conclusions: This review concludes that malocclusions negatively impact QoL and psychological status. The identified studies seek to further acknowledgments in relation with human and personality development.