Effect of personality on oral health-related quality of life in undergraduates.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of personality traits and other variables on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of Chinese undergraduates aged 17 to 24 years with no history of orthodontic treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 443 undergraduate students aged 17 to 24 years were selected and completed a two-section questionnaire: the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Short Scale Chinese version and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 Chinese version (OHIP-14). Malocclusion severity was assessed via clinical examination using the dental health component (DHC) and esthetic component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). Severe dentofacial deformities that required orthognathic surgery were excluded.

RESULTS: The total and all dichotomized OHIP-14 dimensions correlated closely with the neuroticism personality traits ( P < .001). The total and some subscales of OHIP-14 were related with psychoticism. Women had higher OHIP-14 scores than men, especially in the normal occlusion group. Nevertheless, men with more severe malocclusions had higher scores that were similar to those of women. OHRQoL was significantly different between the major of dentistry and other majors.

CONCLUSIONS: Personality affects comprehensive OHRQoL, and the most significant predictor is neuroticism. Female young adults have worse OHRQoL than male young adults, especially among those with mild malocclusion.