Perception of Discomfort, Quality of Life, and Oral Hygiene Level in mandibular Dentoalveolar Expansion Therapy

• Grant number: 24/19010-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Orthodontics
• Principal Investigator: Daniela Gamba Garib Carreira
• Grantee: Gabriela Oliveira Gonçalves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study will be to compare the perception of discomfort,quality of life and oral hygiene level of patients treated with Williams and Schwarzexpanders during inferior dentoalveolar expansion therapy. Methods: Thirty-two patientsbetween 6 and 11 years of age, with Class I malocclusion, maxillary and mandibular atresiaand mild to moderate anteroinferior crowding will be selected. The Williams group willconsist of 16 patients who will be treated with the Hyrax expander device in the upper archand a fixed Williams expander in the lower arch. The Schwarz group will consist of 16patients who will be treated with the Hyrax expander device in the upper arch and theremovable Schwarz plate in the lower arch. Therapy with expander devices will be carriedout over a period of 6 months in both groups. The assessment of the patient's perception ofdiscomfort during treatment will be carried out using a visual analogue scale (VAS). TheCPQ8-10 quality of life questionnaire will also be applied. Oral hygiene will be assessedthrough plaque disclosure. Evaluations will be conducted before, during, and at the end ofthe treatment. Intergroup comparisons will be performed using the T test, Mann-Whitneyand Chi-square. A significance level of 5% will be adopted. It is expected that theinformation obtained through these questionnaires can provide additional insights to theclinician when choosing the orthodontic appliance, focusing on patient comfort for a moreindividualized therapy.