Does outpatient dental treatment have impact on the quality of life of children with early childhood caries?

• Published in: Clinical oral investigations Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 1605 - 1612
• Main Authors: Pereira, Laiane Fernandes, de Deus Moura Lima, Marina, de Moura, Marcoeli Silva, Nogueira, Natália Gonçalves, Lima, Cacilda Castelo Branco, de Fátima Almeida Deus Moura, Lúcia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.02.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Dental Care; Dental caries; Dental Caries - epidemiology; Dental Caries - therapy; Dental Caries Susceptibility; Dentistry; Families & family life; Female; Humans; Male; Medicine; Oral Health; Oral hygiene; Original Article; Outpatients; Parents; Pediatrics; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Sociodemographics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Dental treatment; Dental care; Impact on oral health; Quality of life; Early childhood caries
• ISSN: 1432-6981; 1436-3771
• DOI: 10.1007/s00784-021-04133-x

Aim To assess the impact of outpatient dental treatment on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children and their families. Materials and methods This prospective observational study was conducted with children with untreated dental caries, recruited from a public university/the pediatric dentistry clinic of a public university in the northeastern Brazil. Sociodemographic data were collected, a clinical examination was carried out before and after dental treatment, and the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) questionnaire was applied to those responsible for the children, before and after dental treatment. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were used, and the Wilcoxon and Student’s t tests were applied ( p  < 0.05). Results The study included 64 children, of both sexes, aged between 3 and 5 years old. The majority had a dmft index higher than or equal to 6 (60.9%), with a mean value of 7.11 (± 4.11). Sociodemographic conditions such as sex, age, and socioeconomic status had no impact on their OHRQoL ( p  > 0.05). The mean total ECOHIS questionnaire scores and those of its domains decreased after completion of the treatments ( p  < 0.05), except for scores in the self-image and distress domains of the parents ( p  > 0.05). This study reinforces the relevance of adopting oral health policies aimed at the prevention and treatment of ECC. Conclusion Outpatient dental treatment had a positive impact on the OHRQoL of children and their families. Clinical relevance The possibility of evaluating the services provided by the pediatric dentistry clinic