Quality Of Life Effects In Children Undergoing Dental Treatment Under General Anesthesia

In 0-72 months aging children with early childhood caries, general anesthesia is often preferred due to the following reasons; the non-cooperation based on age, anxiety development during the dental procedures and long treatment sessions. It is known that early childhood caries have a significant impact on the quality of life of child patients’ and their families’. In the assessment of quality of life scores, different questionnaires were developed for children and their parents. Today, Parental Perception Questionnaire and Family Impact Scale, which are composed of two parts including Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale, is used for children under 6 years old age. This study included 158 patients who received comprehensive oral rehabilitation under general anesthesia in Necmettin Erbakan University, Department of Pediatric Dentistry and their parents. Demographic information and dmft values of the patients were recorded before the procedure. Parents were asked to complete the relevant questionnaire at the beginning of the procedure and at the 2nd and 4th weeks following the procedure. The data were statistically analyzed by the SPSS program. It was considered that if the effect size was greater than 0.7, a major change occurring in the data exchange. A statistically significant decrease in all values was observed after the treatments performed under the general anesthesia. The greatest reduction was found in the oral symptoms and functional status of the child. In conclusion, dental procedures performed under general anesthesia in children with early childhood caries appear to have a positive impact on the quality of life of patients and their families.