Oral health-related quality of life following dental treatment under general anaesthesia for early childhood caries - a UK-based study.

Objective To assess parental reports of changes in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of young children in the UK with early childhood caries (ECC) following dental treatment under general anaesthesia (DGA). To compare the impact of oral rehabilitation (OR) and extraction-only (Exo) treatment approaches on this.

Methods Data were collected using the proxy reported components of the Child Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (COHRQoL®) questionnaire: the Parent-Caregivers Perceptions questionnaire (P-CPQ) and Family Impact Scale (FIS), from a convenience sample of parents of children receiving DGA at a UK Paediatric Dental Department. Mean scores and prevalence impacts were compared pre- and postoperatively with mean change score and effect sizes calculations.

Results Seventy-eight parents were recruited (51 children undergoing OR, 27 Exo) with 6 lost to follow-up (92.3%). Following treatment, changes in mean P-CPQ and FIS scores were statistically significant (P < 0.0001) with medium to large effect sizes (0.45–1.39). The differences in change scores between the two treatment approaches were not statistically different.

Conclusion DGA for young children with early childhood caries resulted in substantial improvements in parent's ratings of their child's OHRQoL and of the impact on their families. Larger cohort studies are needed to validate these preliminary findings.