Changes in young children's OHRQoL after dental treatment under general anaesthesia

Abstract

Objective: To use the Parental-Caregivers Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ) and Family Impact Scale (FIS) to determine whether dental treatment of young Auckland children under general anaesthesia (GA) improved oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) for them and their families.

Design: A pretest/post-test design, with a consecutive clinical sample of parents/caregivers of children (10 years or younger) treated under GA. More than half of the children were Māori or Pacific Islanders.

Results: Of the 157 children in the baseline sample, 144 (91.7%) were followed up. The overall P-CPQ score showed a large decrease following treatment, along with an increase in the number scoring 0 (no impact). Similar relative changes were observed in the oral symptoms and emotional well-being subscales, whereas the other two subscales showed moderate decreases. All post-treatment FIS scores were lower than pre-treatment ones; all showed moderate effect sizes. The greatest relative changes were seen in the parental/family activity and parental emotions subscales.

Conclusions: The dental treatment of young children under GA is associated with considerable improvement in their OHRQoL. The P-CPQ and the FIS are valid and responsive to treatment-associated changes in young children with early childhood caries (ECC).