Objective: To assess changes in oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL) in children undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment and compare it to that of two groups not receiving treatment.
Materials and methods: Two hundred eighty-four subjects aged 12-15 years were followed for 2 years; 87 were undergoing treatment at a university clinic (TG), 101 were waiting for treatment at this clinic (WG), and 96 were attending a public school and had never sought treatment (SG). OHQoL was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). All subjects were examined and interviewed at baseline (T1), 1 year later (T2), and 2 years later (T3). OHIP-14 scores were analyzed using negative binomial regression in generalized estimating equations for correlated data.
Results: During the follow-up period, the WG and TG OHIP-14 scores showed a statistically significant increase and decrease, respectively (P < .001). At T1, the TG had an OHIP-14 score that was 1.9 times higher than that of the SG; however at T3, the TG score was 60% lower than the initial score of the SG. Adjusting for age, gender, dental health status (DMFT), socioeconomic position, malocclusion severity, and self-perceived esthetics did not change the effect of orthodontic treatment on OHQoL.
Conclusion: Fixed orthodontic treatment in Brazilian children resulted in significantly improved OHQoL after 2 years.