Relative Frequency of OCD in People with Malocclusion Class I Requiring Orthodontic Treatment

Introduction: The Malocclusion or misalignment of teeth affects not only oral function but also facial esthetics and the psychological well-being of patients. In addition, obsessive-compulsive disorder is a psychological disorder associated with anxiety involving 2-2.5% of the population during their life. This study aimed to assess the severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients having class I malocclusion with crowding. Materials & Methods: In this case-control trial, Using the Yale-Brown questionnaire, female patients with 18-22 years old of ages having class I crowding malocclusion and referring to orthodontic department of Azad Dental school enrolled in the trial as the case group (n = 60). The participants with similar malocclusion without reference for orthodontic treatments followed up as the control group (n = 60). The obtained data by Yale-Brown questionnaire classified the obsessive-compulsive disorder in the participants into four groups of mild, fairly mild, moderate and severe levels. The results of the two groups were analyzed using the Chi-square test (p value < 0.05). Results: In malocclusion patients referring for orthodontic treatments, 19 (31.7%) had mild OCD; 7 (11.7%) had fairly mild OCD; 23 (38.3%) had moderate OCD and 11 (18.3%) showed severe OCD. These values were 28 (46.7%); 12 (20.0%); 15 (25.0%) and 5 (8.3%) for malocclusion patients not referring for orthodontic patients respectively. No significant differences were found among 2 groups regarding severity of OCD (p value = 0.07). Conclusion: In terms of the severity of OCD, there were no significant variations between malocclusion patients with and without referring for orthodontic treatments.