The association between malocclusion, happiness, and oral health-related quality of life in 11–14 years old children

Background: Social life is important in childhood and adolescence when appearance is more closely related to emotional and mental health. Malocclusion may cause several problems in the self-esteem and social satisfaction of children and adolescents. Objectives: We evaluated the association between malocclusion, happiness, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children 11–14 years old referring to the School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: In the current descriptive-analytical study, to evaluate OHRQoL and happiness, child perception questionnaire (CPQ) and oxford happiness questionnaire were used. To study and classify malocclusion, the dental health component (DHC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) was implemented, by a calibrated dentist. To investigate the relationships, a linear regression model was utilized by means of SPSS-25. Results: All the children referred to the dental school during April–May 2019, of which 143 completed the questionnaires, and 78 (54%) were girls. The participants' mean age was 12.42 (±1.13). A direct relationship was observed between CPQ and malocclusion (P < 0.001), i.e., the more severe the malocclusion, the higher the CPQ score and the lower the child's OHRQoL. Similarly, there was an inverse association between happiness and CPQ (P < 0.001), indicating that an increase in happiness led to a decrease in the score of CPQ, which implied an increase in OHRQoL. The findings of regression analysis showed a relationship between happiness and IOTN, family history of dental irregularity, and psychological problems. Conclusions: Results of the present study revealed an association between happiness and OHRQoL with malocclusion in children. This signifies the malocclusion effect on different aspects of a child's psychological health. Prevention and timely treatment of malocclusion has a remarkable influence on improving the quality of life and happiness in children.