Psychosocial Impact of Malocclusion: Findings from A Tertiary Hospital in South-South Nigeria

Background: Malocclusion can cause a lack of confidence and a resultant psychosocial effect on an individual. This study aimed to assess the psychosocial effect of malocclusion on orthodontic patients. Procedures: A cross-sectional study based on a validated semi-structured questionnaire - Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetic Questionnaire (PIDAQ) was conducted. The questionnaire elicited information on socio-demographic data (Section A), the psychosocial impact of malocclusion before treatment (Section B), and during treatment (Section C). Data was imputed and uploaded for analysis using IBM SPSS version 26. Descriptive and inferential statistics were done and the level of significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Findings: One hundred and thirty-five (135) patients were involved in this study including females (78, 57.8%), and males (57, 42.2%) with a mean age of 19.32±7.008 years. Most were in the 10-19 years age group, followed by the 20-29 years participants. The 30-39 years group had the highest PIDAQ score signifying a higher psychosocial impact of malocclusion, while the 40-49 years group participants had the lowest. Mean PIDAQ scores for all subscales before treatment in males and females showed statistically significant differences between the two genders except for Self-confidence which had a P-value of 0.292. Participants of tertiary level had greater psychological, social impact and more aesthetic concerns of malocclusion yet better self-confidence. Conclusion: The psychosocial impact of malocclusion was remarkable across genders and different age groups though significantly more in the 30-39-year-olds, and females. Educational level appears to significantly influence the individuals.