# Oral Health-Related Quality of Life After Dental Rehabilitation Under General Anesthesia in Children With Early Childhood Caries and Special Health Care Needs

## TL;DR

Dental treatment under general anesthesia improves children's oral health quality of life, especially for those with special health needs.

## Contribution

This study evaluates the impact of dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia on children's oral health-related quality of life.

## Key findings

- Children with special health care needs had higher pre-treatment ECOHIS scores, indicating poorer quality of life.
- Dental treatment under general anesthesia significantly improved ECOHIS scores in both normal and special children.
- Improvement in quality of life was greater in children with special health care needs after treatment.

## Abstract

Objective: Early childhood caries (ECC) has emerged as a prevalent global epidemic. Furthermore, we recognize that children with special health care needs (CSHCN) have a higher prevalence of diseases like ECC. Dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia (DRGA) is an efficient, safe, high-quality treatment modality that can be completed in one appointment, requiring little cooperation from children, and the child does not have any bad memories of treatments. The study aims to examine the impact of comprehensive dental treatment under general anesthesia on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children with ECC, as well as the quality of life of their caregivers.

Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study using the survey method. The study consists of a 13-item questionnaire. The questionnaire is called the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS). This questionnaire was filled out before DRGA, two weeks and one year after the treatment was done under general anesthesia.

Results: The study population included healthy (7) and special needs children (9). The results indicated that both normal and special children in the present study population had higher total ECOHIS scores. The child impact score was higher and statistically significant among special children (23.00 ± 6.32) in comparison to normal children, indicating poor quality of life. When comparing pre- and post-intervention, there was a significant improvement in ECOHIS scores for normal and special children.

Conclusion: The DRGA significantly improved OHRQoL in ECC children. In CSHCN, the improvement was even greater.