Impact of Fake Braces on Oral Health Related Quality of Life: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background Fake braces have become popular as fashionable appliances in some parts of the world, however, there is a scarcity of information about their effects on various aspects of quality of life. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the effects of fake braces on oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL).Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out with data collection from a Google form questionnaire distributed in Saudi Arabia via various forms of social media over a period of four months. OHRQoL was assessed using the validated Arabic version of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire. Fake braces group included respondents who had braces installed for fashion purposes only. Therapeutic braces group included subjects who were wearing braces to treat any malocclusion problems. Control group included participants who did not have any kind of braces. People who had previously completed orthodontic treatments were excluded from the study. The negative impacts were divided into seven domains and a total OHIP score was calculated. Statistical analyses and data illustration were performed with SPSS Statistics (v. 25).Results A total of 1167 people voluntarily participated in the study. More than 60% of the participants were in the control group while 30% had conventional braces for therapeutic reasons and less than 5% had fashion braces under investigation. Sociodemographic distributions varied among the groups and the majority of the subjects in fake braces group had education below the university level with family income of less than average. There were no significant group differences in total OHIP scores. Physical pain was the most frequently reported complaint by all subjects and was the highest in the therapeutic braces group. People with fake or therapeutic braces reported significantly higher functional limitation and physical disability than the control. Yet, fashion braces group reported significantly lower psychological discomfort and disability compared to the therapeutic braces or control groups.Conclusions The illustrated effects of fake braces on OHRQoL in this study suggests the need to study the role of social media and educate the public on the use of braces to minimize the negative effects experienced by individuals.