Comparison of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Treated and Non-Treated Orthodontic Patients

INTRODUCTION: Malocclusion as an oral disorder can cause negative impact on individuals oral conditions, social interactions and self-esteem. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL) of patients who had received fixed orthodontic treatment and patients who had not received fixed orthodontic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected from 178 participants attended at professional dental office (mean age 22.71 years) in two groups (experimental and control). The experimental group comprised of 90 subjects who were in the retention phase, after their orthodontic treatment, and the control group comprised of 88 untreated subjects. Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to assess the patients oral health related quality of life (OHQoL). RESULTS: The control group had significantly higher OHIP-14 scores than experimental group (p < 0.001). Participants with treatment need reported a significantly greater negative impact on the overall OHRQoL score. CONCLUSION: Subjects with no history of orthodontic treatment had more negative oral health related quality (OHRQoL), than subjects who had completed orthodontic treatment. Dental malocclusion has significant negative impact on OHRQoL.