The appearance of one’s teeth influences young people’s well-being
"We were previously unaware that crowded front teeth have the greatest impact on young people’s oral health-related quality of life," explains Emma Göranson.
Young people’s quality of life is often negatively affected by misaligned teeth or jaws (malocclusion). This is particularly true for girls and those with crowded front teeth. At the same time, access to orthodontic treatment is unevenly distributed, according to new research from Malmö University.
Around seven in ten children and young people in Sweden have some degree of malocclusion, such as crowded teeth or an overjet. Of these, fewer than half receive orthodontic treatment within the public dental care system, which is free of charge for this group. Which children and young people receive treatment is determined based on need and the severity of the malocclusion.
This is an aspect that may now need to be given greater weight when we assess treatment needs.
Emma Göranson
In her thesis, senior dentist and PhD student Emma Göranson has investigated how malocclusions affect young people’s oral health-related quality of life, how these conditions are assessed, and how orthodontic treatment is allocated within the public dental care system.
“Malocclusions have a negative impact on young people’s oral health-related quality of life. This is particularly true among girls and young people with crowded front teeth, regardless of gender,” says Göranson, who used the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire in the study – a questionnaire that had not previously been available in Swedish.
Göranson has also evaluated various methods used in dentistry to assess the severity of malocclusions. She notes that photographs, which are now often used instead of clinical examinations and plaster models, provide reliable results. This was not previously established and now means that time can often be saved in the initial stages of examinations.
The thesis also shows that access to orthodontic treatment varies between different groups – even though malocclusions are equally common in both sexes, albeit in slightly different forms. Boys, young people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and young people whose parents have a lower level of education are less likely to receive orthodontic treatment.
“The selection criteria for orthodontic treatment vary between regions in the country, which affects access to treatment. My hope is therefore that this thesis can contribute to a more equitable assessment and clearer criteria based on patients’ needs.
“Previously, we were unaware that crowded front teeth have the greatest impact on young people’s oral health-related quality of life. This is an aspect that may now need to be given greater weight when we assess treatment needs,” concludes Göranson, who also works as a specialist in orthodontics.
