Assessment of Orthodontic Treatment Need and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Asthmatic Children Aged 11 to 14 Years Old: A Cross-Sectional Study

Adrián Curto; Fátima Mihit; Daniel Curto; Alberto Albaladejo

doi:10.3390/children10020176

Assessment of Orthodontic Treatment Need and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Asthmatic Children Aged 11 to 14 Years Old: A Cross-Sectional Study

Children (Basel). 2023 Jan 18;10(2):176. doi: 10.3390/children10020176.

Authors

Adrián Curto¹, Fátima Mihit², Daniel Curto³, Alberto Albaladejo⁴

Affiliations

¹ Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Salamanca, Alfonso X El Sabio Avenue s/n, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
² Faculty of Medicine, University of Salamanca, Alfonso X El Sabio Avenue s/n, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
³ Department of Pathology, 12 de Octubre University Hospital, Córdoba Avenue s/n, 28041 Madrid, Spain.
⁴ Orthodontics, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Salamanca, Alfonso X El Sabio Avenue s/n, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.

Abstract

This study investigated the need for orthodontic treatment in asthmatic children aged 11 to 14 years and how the treatment affected their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the dental clinic of the University of Salamanca in 2020-2022. The study selected a consecutive sample of 140 children with asthma (52.1% girls; 47.9% boys). This study used the Orthodontic Treatment Needs Index (OTN) to analyze the need for orthodontic treatment and the Children's Perception Questionnaire (CPQ11-14) to assess OHRQoL.

Results: Sex and age did not significantly influence the need for orthodontic treatment, although age may be considered influential for OHRQoL concerning oral symptoms (p < 0.01), functional limitations (p < 0.05), and total score on the CPQ_11-14 questionnaire (p < 0.05): the younger the age, the greater the effect of the need for orthodontic treatment on OHRQoL. The social well-being of the patients was much more significantly impacted by the need for orthodontic treatment (15.7 ± 1.91) than by oral symptoms (7.64 ± 1.39), which were the least impacted. In all parts of the CPQ_11-14 questionnaire and in the patients' total scores, we observed significant agreement (p < 0.01) that treatment influenced OHRQoL.

Conclusion: An inverse relationship exists between the severity of the treatment needed and OHRQoL.

Keywords: adolescents; malocclusion; oral health-related quality of life; orthodontic treatment need; orthodontics; self-concept.

Grants and funding

2022/00245/001/University of Salamanca