CHANGES IN ORAL FUNCTIONS AND DISCOMFORT WITH ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCES

Objectives: The objective of this research was to present the types of orthodontic appliances, the expectation to the orthodontic treatment, presence of discomfort and the effects on oral functions during the use of orthodontic appliances in patients seen by undergraduate students.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study, based answers in the interview and questionnaire applied in 83 patients aged 7-13 years treated in clinics for undergraduate students in Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The questionnaires contained multiple choice questions, about on the expectation as to orthodontic treatment, presence of discomfort and perceived difficulties in the execution of oral functions (chewing, swallowing, speech and breathing) while using orthodontic appliances.
Results: Most used appliances were palatal expander (39%) and space maintainers (34%). To 44.7% of patients, the greatest motivation for using the orthodontic device was the expectation of improvement in smile esthetics. The discomfort was perceived by 53.19% of the sample and the most frequent complaints were dental and gum sensivity and difficulty speaking with the device, and 15% reported moderate or severe pain. Due to dental sensitivity, 33% of the patients said they would like to give up the treatment. The oral functions most affected by the device were chewing (78.9%) and speech (62.12%).
Conclusions: The improvement in the smile esthetics was the greatest motivation to orthodontic treatment, oral discomfort was often related to the use of orthodontic appliances and chewing and speech were considered the most affected functions by the use of orthodontic appliances.