Risk of dental malocclusion in children with upper respiratory tract disorders: A case-control study of a nationwide, population-based health claim database.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between different upper respiratory tract disorders and severe dental malocclusion in pediatric patients. METHODS: Newly diagnosed patients (N = 773) with dental malocclusion aged 8-18 years and controls (N = 3865) were identified from the health claim records of the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 of Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Controls were frequency matched to the cases by sex, age group, and index year. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between severe dental malocclusion and six common upper respiratory tract disorders, including acute sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, nasal septum deviation, nasal polyps, and hypertrophy of tonsil and adenoids. RESULTS: The risk of severe dental malocclusion was significantly elevated in pediatric patients with three upper respiratory tract disorders, including acute sinusitis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.66, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.39-1.99), allergic rhinitis (aOR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.34-2.02), and chronic sinusitis (aOR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.27-3.19). When all the six upper respiratory tract disorders were simultaneously included in the multiple logistic regression analysis, acute sinusitis (aOR = 1.48, p < 0.001) and allergic rhinitis (aOR = 1.34, p < 0.010) were significantly and independently associated with an increased risk of severe dental malocclusion. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this nationwide, population-based case-control study indicated that acute sinusitis and allergic rhinitis were independently and significantly associated with an increased risk of severe dental malocclusion in pediatric patients. Pediatricians should remain vigilant for the risk of dental malocclusion in their patients with these disorders.