Genetic polymorphisms are involved in oral health–related quality of life in skeletal class III patients submitted to orthognathic surgery

Objective This study aimed to evaluate whether sex and genetic polymorphisms impact the oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) preoperatively and the difference between preoperative and postoperative OHRQoL in skeletal Class III patients submitted to orthognathic surgery. Materials and methods This longitudinal study consisted of ninety-nine patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion who required orthognathic surgery. The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) is a questionnaire used to assess the OHRQoL with a 5‐point Likert‐type scale, covering seven domains related to physical and psychosocial factors. The questionnaire was applied in the preoperative and postoperative periods, and the difference scores were calculated to assess the OHRQoL after orthognathic surgery. The DNA was extracted from oral mucosa cells to evaluate genetic polymorphisms in ANKK1 , DRD2 , ESR1 , and ESR2 through real-time PCR. Results There was an improvement in all OHRQoL domains following orthognathic surgery ( p < 0.05). In the preoperative evaluation, women presented worse OHRQoL ( p < 0.05) than men. There was no statistical difference between sex and the OHRQoL after surgery ( p > 0.05). When evaluating the polymorphisms and preoperative OHIP-14 scores, CT genotype patients for rs1800497 ( ANKK1 ) had a worse perception of the physical pain domain than CC genotype ( p = 0.026), and CC genotype patients for rs1256049 ( ESR2 ) had a worse perception of the functional limitation domain than CT genotype ( p = 0.002). In the analysis between polymorphisms and postoperative and preoperative difference scores, CT genotype patients for rs1256049 ( ESR2 ) had a greater improvement in the perception of the physical pain domain than the CC genotype ( p = 0.031). In rs6275 and rs6276 ( DRD2 ), patients with the CC genotype worsened the perception of the functional limitation domain than the TT genotype ( p = 0.045), and AA genotype patients worsened the perception of the functional limitation domain than GG genotype ( p = 0.048) after surgery, respectively. In addition, patients with the CT genotype for rs1800497 ( ANKK1 ) had a greater improvement of OHRQoL perception in the total scale than the TT genotype ( p = 0.018), and CT genotype patients had a greater improvement in the perception of function limitation domain than TT genotype ( p = 0.017). Conclusion Women have a worse perception of OHRQoL in the preoperative period of orthognathic surgery. Furthermore, polymorphisms in the ANKK1 , DRD2 , and ESR2 genes could be involved with OHRQoL in the preoperative period and following orthognathic surgery. Clinical relevance The knowledge of the genetic background concerning OHRQoL in skeletal class III patients would aid in clinical practice to screen for associated genetic factors and prevent OHRQoL deterioration, especially after orthognathic surgery, considering that patients’ genetic profiles would soon be available.