Effect of incisor position on the self-perceived psychosocial impacts of malocclusion among Chinese young adults

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the incisor position on the self-perceived psychosocial impacts of malocclusion among Chinese young adults. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 17.1- to 22.3-year-old young adults (n  =  1005). The five groups represented were normal occlusion as well as incisor Class I, Class II/1, Class II/2, and Class III malocclusion. For clinical assessment, the incisor relationship was evaluated according to the British Standards Institute Incisor Classification, and the self-perception of dental esthetics was assessed using the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ). Statistical analysis involved the analysis of variance and Tukey multiple-comparison post hoc tests. Results: Psychosocial impacts were different among the five groups for the four PIDAQ domains (P < .001 for all four domains). Statistically significant differences were found between the four malocclusion groups and the normal occlusion group in all four domains (P < .001 for all four domains). Furthermore, statistically significant differences were found between four malocclusion groups. Conclusions: All four malocclusion groups had more severe psychosocial impacts than the normal occlusion group in the four PIDAQ domains. Statistically significant differences were also found between the four malocclusion groups; these malocclusion groups ranked by score, highest to lowest, were Class III, Class II/1, Class II/2, and Class I.