Impact of overbite and overjet on oral health-related quality of life of children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Usually, morphological parameters of the teeth are recorded to help assess the indication for orthodontic treatment. It is assumed that significant deviations from average values compromise the quality of life. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of overbite and overjet on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children and adolescents.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 748 subjects, aged 9.5-15.5 years, participated in the LIFE child project of the University of Leipzig, where they underwent a general medical and dental examination. Overbite and overjet were measured, and aberrations of the OHRQoL were recorded by the probands themselves, who completed the German version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ-G11-14). The OHRQoL is divided into four domains ("oral symptoms", "functional limitations", "emotional well-being" and "social well-being") and is analysed by means of a CPQ score depending on age, gender, socioeconomic status and orthodontic treatment.

RESULTS: On average, the participants listed 10.5 (±13.1) problem issues on a CPQ scale ranging from 0 to 140. Subjects with current orthodontic treatment had a CPQ score about 2.5 (±2.4) higher than those without treatment. The aberrations were mainly observed in the domains "oral symptoms" and "functional limitations". Multiple linear regression showed that deviations of the overbite had only little influence on the OHRQoL, but deviations of an overjet-especially of >6 mm increased the CPQ summary score about 6 points.

CONCLUSION: Children and adolescents with overjet deviations of >6 mm in comparison to the norm are associated with significant limitations of the OHRQoL. However, overbite deviations have only little influence.