Effects of fixed functional devices on patients’ oral health-related quality of life

Abstract

Objective: To determine treatment expectations of patients and parents, and the initial effects of fixed functional devices on oral health-related quality of life. Materials and Method: The study comprised 50 patients (39 female, 11 male, mean age 16.24 years) with Angle Class II,1 malocclusion, who were planned to be treated with forsus fatigue resistant device (FFRD). Treatment expectations of the patients and their parents/legal guardians were assessed before the treatment. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was assessed 1-month after bonding (T1), and repeated 1-month after placement of FFRD (T2). Statistical analysis included Wilcoxon Signed Rank test for the evaluation of the differences in scores between treatment periods and Mann-Whitney U test for the evaluation of gender differences. Results: Main motivation for seeking orthodontic treatment was to improve dental appearance for the patients, and facial esthetics for their parents. Results declared that girls took their orthodontic problems more seriously than boys (p<0.05). The highest mean scores in OHIP-14 were achieved for “difficulty in eating”, and “feeling pain”. No significant difference between treatment periods was noted. Conclusion: This study highlighted the lack of serious adverse effects of the use of fixed functional devices on patients’ quality of life, and that patients might probably experience problems about physical status, mainly for functional limitations, rather than psychological status and social interactions. The findings may assist clinicians in understanding the concerns about these appliances.

Keywords

• orthodontics
• orthodontic appliances
• functional
• quality of life
• ortodonti
• ortodontik aletler
• fonksiyonel
• yaşam kalitesi