Oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is defined as the impact of oral health on activities of daily living. Malocclusions are a public health problem with a high prevalence. Different studies have concluded that malocclusions negatively affect OHRQoL in patients of all ages. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of having an anterior open bite on the OHRQoL of adult patients.
Materials and methods: A case-control study (1:1) was carried out with a sample size of 80 adults at the University of Salamanca in 2021. The case group (n = 40) was made up of patients with an anterior open bite, and the control group (n = 40) contained patients without an anterior open bite. OHRQoL was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire. The influences of gender and age on the OHRQoL of the patients were also analyzed.
Results: There were no significant differences in gender or age between the case and control groups. An anterior open bite was not found to influence the OHRQoL of adult patients. Age was not shown to significantly influence OHRQoL. Female patients with an anterior open bite had higher scores in the handicap domain of the OHIP-14 questionnaire compared with male patients (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Anterior open bite can influence the OHRQoL of orthodontic patients. Gender can be considered an influencing factor.
Keywords: anterior open bite; malocclusion; oral health; oral-health-related quality of life; orthodontics.