Oral health related quality of life in pre and post orthodontically treated students of a dental college- a cross-sectional longitudinal study

Objective: Malocclusion is a common oral disorder and can cause negative impact on oral conditions, social life and a person’s self-confidence; more so in dentists. The objective of this study was to determine whether orthodontic treatment influences Oral Health Related Quality Of Life (OHRQoL) in dental students. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional design with self-reported data were collected from 30 dental students in a dental college in Pune city (mean age-21.71 years) in “pre- orthodontic treatment” and “post- orthodontic treatment” groups. The measure namely (Oral Health Impact Profile) OHIP-14 questionnaire was used to assess the students’ OHQoL. Results: A significant difference in impact was found in seven questions and four domains (Psychological discomfort, Psychological Disability, Social Disability and Handicap) of OHIP-14 between the two groups (P<0.05).It was found that there is improvement in patient satisfaction after orthodontic treatment. (≈ 21.43%) Conclusion: Patients who had completed orthodontic treatment had a better OHRQoL in psychological and physical aspects than before the treatment.