Association of malocclusion, self-reported bruxism and chewing-side preference with oral health-related quality of life in patients with temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) with malocclusion and self-reported bruxism and chewing-side preference (CSP) in patients with temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA).

METHODS

This study involved 511 patients diagnosed with TMJ-OA. Each participant completed the Chinese version of the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-C14) questionnaire and received a clinical examination concerning malocclusion (posterior crossbite, overbite, overjet and anterior open bite). Also patients' self-reported awake bruxism (AB), sleep bruxism (SB) and CSP based on the Oral Behavior Checklist (OBC) were recorded. The associations of OHIP-C14 with malocclusion and self-reported bruxism and CSP were assessed using multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

Posterior crossbite, overbite, overjet and anterior open bite were not significantly associated with either the total OHIP-C14 score or the scores of each domain of OHIP-C14. AB was significantly associated with both the total OHIP-C14 score and the scores of each domain with the largest standardised coefficients. CSP was significantly associated with both the total OHIP-C14 score and the scores of the psychological and social domains. SB was significantly associated with the scores of both the function limitation and psychological disability domains.

CONCLUSIONS

Malocclusion is not significantly associated with OHRQoL in patients with TMJ-OA. Self-reported AB is highly associated with OHRQoL in patients with TMJ-OA, while self-reported SB and CSP are both moderately associated with OHRQoL in patients with TMJ-OA.