Malocclusion and oral health-related quality of life in Brazilian school children.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that malocclusion and its impact on quality of life has no effect on 8- to 10-year-old Brazilian schoolchildren as measured by an oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) instrument.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a population-based sample of 1204 8- to 10-year-old children attending elementary schools in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Dental examinations were carried out by two calibrated examiners. OHRQoL was assessed using the Brazilian version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire. The Dental Aesthetic Index was used for the clinical assessment of malocclusion. Dental caries and socioeconomic factors were used as controlling variables. Bivariate analysis involved the chi-square test and the Fisher exact test. A Poisson regression model was employed for the multivariate analysis (P < .05).

Results: Anterior segment spacing and anterior mandibular overjet were significantly associated with impact on OHRQoL (P < .05). Schoolchildren with malocclusion were 1.30-fold (95% CI: 1.15-1.46; P < 0.001) more likely to experience a negative impact on OHRQoL than those without malocclusion. Children belonging to families with an income less than or equal to two times the minimum wage were 1.59-fold (95% CI: 1.35-1.88; P < 0.001) more likely to experience a negative impact on OHRQoL than those belonging to families with the highest income.

Conclusions: Schoolchildren with malocclusion from lower-income families experience a greater negative impact on OHRQoL.