Impact of excessive gingival display on oral health-related quality of life in a Southern Brazilian young population.

AIM

To compare oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) between individuals with and without excessive gingival display (EGD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 53 individuals with EGD and 53 controls matched for sex and age. The outcome was OHRQoL, determined using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) and self-perceptions of satisfaction with smile aesthetics. A clinical examination was conducted to evaluate the smile line, colour of the teeth, tooth wear and malocclusion. Poisson regression was used to model the association between excessive gingival display and OHRQoL.

RESULTS

Participants with EGD had higher total OHIP-14 score (4.81 ± 4.76) in comparison with the controls (1.85 ± 3.77; p < .001). The percentage of satisfied with smile individuals without and with EGD was 78.9% and 21.1%, respectively (p = .005). In the multivariate analysis, total OHIP-14 scores were 2.10-fold higher individuals with EGD, independently of the other variables analysed. Impacts were evident on the functional limitation, psychological discomfort, psychological disability and social handicap.

CONCLUSIONS

The occurrence of EGD exerted a negative impact on OHRQoL independently of confounding variables in this specific population. The present findings justify the planning of treatment for individuals with EGD that impacts quality of life.