Association between orthodontic treatment willingness and its related quality of life in 10-14 year-old adolescents in Shiraz

Abstract Introduction: The orthognathic quality of life (OQOL) questionnaire evaluates the quality of life in five aspects which are related to the dentofacial status of an individual. In this study the association between the orthodontic treatment willingness and these aspects was evaluated in 10‒14 year-old students in Shiraz.Method: In this cross-sectional analytic study, 240 participants among 10‒14 year-old students in Shiraz were selected. The OQOL questionnaire was used for the evaluation of five aspects of the orthognatic quality of life. After completion of the questionnaire, the students were asked to answer a question about their willingness for orthodontic treatment with Yes or No and according to this answer, the participants were categorized in two groups. The case group involved those who answered with Yes (n=113) and the control group involved those who answered with No (n=127). Data was analyzed with the SPSS 15 using Mann-Whitney U test (α=0.05).Result: The scores of three components, including “self-confidence” (p value = 0.009), “awareness of dentofacial esthetic” (p value = 0.018), and the “dentofacial esthetic” (p value = 0.023) were statistically significant. The difference between the case and the control groups were not significant in the “social aspect” (p value = 0.070) and the “oral function” (p value = 0.154).Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, in the adolescent age group, “self- confidence”, “dentofacial esthetic” and “awareness of dentofacial esthetic” are the most effective aspects of orthognathic quality of life (OQOL), which result in willingness for orthodontic treatment. Key words: Adolescent, Malocclusion, Quality of life.