Authors

1 Associated Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.

3 Dental Student, Student Research Committee, Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.

4 Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Health Sciences Research Center, Addiction Research Institutes, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.

Abstract

Background
Dental malocclusion is one of the most common developmental anomalies. Fixed orthodontics as one of the treatments of malocclusion are referred to as mechanical devices that are attached to the teeth. This study assessed quality of life (QOL) based on oral health impact profile (OHIP) amongst Iranian patients undergoing fixed orthodontic appliances in orthodontic center of Sari, Iran.
Materials and Methods
This is a prospective controlled longitudinal study on 14-19 year-old patients with fixed orthodontic appliances in orthodontic centers of Sari, Iran, in 2018. The 4th and 5th grade of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) subjects were enrolled in the study. QOL was assessed based on OHIP questionnaire at the beginning of the study before placing braces (T0), a day after placing braces (T1), and three months after placing braces (T2) for all subjects. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 24.0.
Results
The number of 290 patients (145 male and 145 female) were investigated. The average age of participants was 17 ± 1.94 years. The average QOL at three T0, T1, T2 times showed that the QOL of patients in T0 (19.66 ± 10.19) was at the lowest value, in T1 (29.53 ± 15.14) it was moderate and in T2 (17.84 ± 9.22) it was good, and these changes were statistically significant (P <0.05). The results of correlation test showed that age had no significant correlation with QOL at any stage of measuring QOL (T0: r=-0.008, P=0.89; T1: r=0.031, P=0.6; T2: r=-0.007, P=0.91).
Conclusion
The results of this study showed that QOL increases after orthodontics. The average score of the QOL in T1 was at its lowest value, but T2 had a good QOL. The QOL of men and women was not different in any of the three measuring stages.

Keywords