Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
[Oral health-related quality of life in patients with fixed appliances]
Mu Chen1, Da-Wei Wang, Li-Ping Wu
1Department of Orthodontics, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510055, China.
Objective:
To assess oral health-related quality of life in patients with fixed appliances.
Methods:
Orthodontic patients were asked to complete the scale of general conditions (Chinese version, questionnaire 1) and oral health impact profile (OHIP) -14 (Chinese version, questionnaire 2). Baseline data were collected at first visit and thereafter. The subjects finished questionnaire 2 at the 1st week, 4th week, 12th week and 24th week, respectively, after the fixed appliance was bonded. Data were analyzed to evaluate the various sample groups with different personal information and clinical parameters. Results were collated and analyzed using software package SPSS version 15.0.
Results:
The most common negative effect was physical pain [55/222 (27.8%)] and psychological discomfort [40/222 (18.0%)], mainly in the first month. The total scores at five time points were 3, 10, 7, 5 and 4, respectively. No difference was found in quality of life in patients between sixth month with fixed appliance and without appliance (P > 0.05). Age and education status affected the quality of life (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Fixed orthodontic appliance therapy affected patients' oral health-related quality of life during treatment. The quality of life in the first month of treatment was mostly compromised and was improved later.
Related Concept Videos
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...
Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.
Oral Cavity
Teeth: The teeth are the hardest structures in our bodies. Humans have two sets of teeth throughout their lifetime: deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth. Each tooth consists of several parts: the crown (visible part), the root (embedded in the jaw), enamel (hard outer...
