Impact of self-esteem on the oral-health-related quality of life of children with malocclusion

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-esteem and oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in a sample of children seeking orthodontic treatment in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of children aged 11 to 14 years, evaluating the associations among the child perception questionnaire (CPQ11-14), the self-esteem subscale of the child health questionnaire, and the dental aesthetic index (DAI). RESULTS: The CPQ11-14 scores were significantly related to the self-esteem scores and the DAI ratings. Regression analysis showed that self-esteem contributed significantly to the variance in CPQ11-14 scores. However, the amount of variance explained by normative measures of malocclusion was relatively small. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of malocclusion on quality of life is substantial in children with low self-esteem. Compared with normative measures of malocclusion, self-esteem is a more salient determinant of OHRQoL in children seeking orthodontic treatment. Longitudinal data will be of value to confirm this finding.