Orofacial functions and quality of life in oral health in subjects with dentofacial deformity.

PURPOSE To investigate the influence of the facial pattern in orofacial functions (OFFs) and quality of life (QoL), and their relationship in individuals with dentofacial deformities (DFD). METHODS As approved by the Research Ethics Committee, 36 subjects, aged between 18 and 40 years, divided into three groups of seven female and five male participants, i.e., facial pattern I (n=12), pattern II (n=12) and pattern III (n=12), participated in this study. The OFFs were assessed using the MBGR protocol and QoL by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire. Comparisons between OFFs and facial patterns were made using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the correlation between the facial pattern and QoL by means of Spearman's test, considering a 5% significance level. RESULTS A significant difference (p<0.05) was observed when comparing patterns I and II, and patterns I and III, with no difference between patterns II and III, neither in the OHIP-14 nor in the MBGR. A significant linear correlation (r=0.666; p<0.05) was verified between the MBGR and the OHIP-14, showing that the worse the OFFs, the worse the QoL. CONCLUSION The facial pattern influenced the performance of the OFFs and the QoL in individuals presenting DFD, with a greater occurrence of changes for patterns II and III, and the worse the OFFs, the worse the QoL in cases with DFD.