Early intervention on malocclusion has a valuable impact on craniofacial growth with most of its growth and development taking place between birth and 6 years of age. Malocclusion has also a huge impact on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). So, early treatment generates physical, emotional, and functional well-being in children and their parents. Functional diagnosis is fundamental when analyzes the repercussion of malocclusion related to OHQoL on a child low self-esteem, impacting appearance when speaking and smiling. Highlights the malocclusion correlation with altered oral functions and vision, with a proper oral posture and its impact restoring adequate sensory information to generate better body posture. The early treatment on certain cases demonstrated that the refinement of the masticatory capacity and its performance influenced on improvement of facial asymmetry along with the change of direction of growth observed in the premaxilla and mandible, as well as in the restoration of the oral functions that results in a positive impact on his quality of life. Timely treatment with Functional Jaw Orthopedics under the concepts of Neuro-occlusal Rehabilitation was effective in mitigating the negative impacts that malocclusion can have on the quality of life of children and their parents, allowing a better childhood, and probably extending its impact on later life adolescence and adulthood.
Mariella Izquierdo is a specialist in pediatric dentistry with expertise in jaw functional orthopedics. She holds a Master’s degree from São Leopoldo Mandic University in Brazil and has specialized in jaw functional orthopedics at the São Paulo Association of Dental Surgeons. She has completed multiple diplomas in early treatment of occlusal functional alterations, interceptive orthodontics, and dentistry for babies from institutions in Colombia, Argentina, and Peru. She is the founder and former professor of the Pediatric Dentistry Chair at Santiago de Guayaquil Catholic University and has also taught dentistry for babies at the university’s Faculty of Medicine. She has conducted workshops internationally, including Planas’ Direct Tracks and Functional Diagnosis at Pedodisha 2021 in India. She has earned certifications in nitrous oxide-oxygen inhalation sedation, functional appliances, and prevention of malocclusion from institutions in the USA, Argentina, Portugal, and Ecuador. She graduated as a specialist in pediatric dentistry and as a dental surgeon from Santiago de Guayaquil University, where she was the top graduate of her class and received multiple academic excellence awards, including the Contenta Award and Best Undergraduate Thesis Award. She has been recognized with the Scientific Merit Award by the Guayas College of Dentists, the Best of Abstracts Award at the 2023 International Association of Paediatric Dentistry Congress, and second place in the Clinical Cases Abstracts competition at the Brazilian Academy of Jaw Functional Orthopedics Congress. She is a co-author of Klammtherapy Clinical Applicability and actively contributes to pediatric dentistry through research, education, and global awareness. She serves on the IAPD PR Committee and volunteers for initiatives supporting refugee and orphaned children. Her passion lies in raising awareness for better oral and integrative health, caring for children’s emotions, and ensuring all treatments enhance their quality of life.
