Abstract
This study aimed to assess generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL), pain intensity, and anxiety levels and the relationship between the three aspects in healthy young Chinese orthodontic patients in the early stage of orthodontic treatment. We enrolled 252 eligible participants (10–29 years old) to complete validated Chinese versions of questionnaires, including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (S-AI), the visual analogue scale (VAS), and the Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) at baseline and on days 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, and 30 after initial archwire placement (SF-36 only at baseline and day 30). The response rate was 96% (243 of 252). SF-36 had moderate reliability (Cronbach's alpha coefficient exceeding 0.7, good fit on day 30). Statistical significant changes were observed in physical function (P < 0.01), body pain (P = 0.01), and general health (P < 0.01) domains. Spearman correlation coefficients for SF-36 with S-AI were −0.131~−0.515 (P < 0.05); SF-36 with VAS were −0.141~−0.273 (P < 0.05), indicating significant but moderate negative correlations between HRQoL and pain/anxiety. Overall, the application of SF-36 in assessing HRQoL is reluctantly suitable for young Chinese orthodontic patients in the early stage of orthodontic treatment. Early treatment-related pain and anxiety are important factors in HRQoL.
Highlights
It is acknowledged that health contributes to quality of life (QoL), known as health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which is recognized as a significant parameter for patient assessment in nearly every field of physical and mental healthcare, including orthodontics [1, 2]
Previous studies have found that the severity of malocclusion and esthetic impairment was higher in adolescents with orthodontic treatment, resulting in a worse QoL score compared with the age-matched peers who were not seeking orthodontic treatment [5]
Spearman correlation coefficients of physical functioning (PF), body pain (BP), and general health perceptions (GH) scores and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores ranged from −0.141 to −0.273 (P < 0.05), indicating that the VAS score was negatively related to the social functioning (SF)-36
Summary
It is acknowledged that health contributes to quality of life (QoL), known as health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which is recognized as a significant parameter for patient assessment in nearly every field of physical and mental healthcare, including orthodontics [1, 2]. Previous studies have found that the severity of malocclusion and esthetic impairment was higher in adolescents with orthodontic treatment, resulting in a worse QoL score compared with the age-matched peers who were not seeking orthodontic treatment [5]. The treatment process per se has significant influence on QoL, because of some treatment-related side effects of orthodontic treatment [2, 7, 8] especially in the fixed orthodontic appliance therapy [9, 10]. Studies reported that many patients, especially adolescents, have difficulty adjusting to the treatment due to pain, anxiety, and distress [8] and feel somewhat embarrassed about the esthetic change in appearance with fixed orthodontic appliances [9]. With the popularity of orthodontic treatment in recent years, the aesthetic factor’s
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