Early Childhood Caries and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Single-Session Therapy Under General Anesthesia

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the treatment of ECC, performed in a single-session dental treatment under general anesthesia, can affect the quality of life of pediatric patients. It was assessed whether risks and discomforts involved in SSGA are outweighed by its effectiveness and reliability in improving oral health-related quality of life. Materials and Methods The quality of life that was assessed in this prospective study was oral health-related quality of life (OHRQL). Pediatric patients aged between 3 and 6 years with ECC undergoing dental treatment in SSGA were asked to fill in the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) form both before and 1 month after the intervention. The data obtained were then statistically elaborated and analyzed to evaluate the actual significance of the differences found between the values before and after treatment and between the two sexes. Results Mean ECOHIS score before treatment was 30.58, following a large decrease after treatment, with a mean score of 2.94. Most parameters show a significant improvement between pre- and post-SSGA treatments, mainly those related to oral–dental pain, daytime irritability, and impact on family environment. Average ECOHIS scores for males and females are 31.72 and 29.76 before treatment and 3.55 and 2.52 1 month after treatment, respectively, showing no statistically significant differences. Conclusion The dental treatment of young children under SSGA is associated with considerable improvement in their OHRQL. It can be considered an effective and reliable way of managing cases that cannot be dealt with by alternative methods.

Survey on Oral Health Education Knowledge of Family Members and Health Workers Dedicated to Patients with Disabilities

“…In the disabled patient, this condition of well-being is essential to ensure, starting from a young age, a harmonious psychosomatic growth. 5…”

Parental Accompaniment in Operating Rooms Reduces Child Anxiety

“…In many instances, the dental treatment of young children requires using general anesthesia [ 1 ]. However, children undergoing anesthesia is usually an anxiety-ridden time for both parents and child [ 2 ].…”

Cross-Bite and Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in Preadolescents Aged 11 to 14 Years Old: A Pilot Case-Control Study

“…There are different questionnaires to assess COHQoL, each of which has been validated and used in patients of different ages; each questionnaire consists of a variable number of items. The most commonly used in published studies are the Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ) [ 18 ], the Child Oral Impact Daily Performance (Child-OIDP) [ 22 ], the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP) [ 15 , 23 ] and the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) [ 16 , 24 , 25 ].…”