Comparison of Children’s Oral Health Related Quality Of Life Pre- and Post Dental Treatment Under General Anesthesia Using F-ECOHIS Questionnaire

In developing countries, there is an increasing trend of chronic diseases such as tooth decay, obesity and diabetes especially in children[1]. Tooth decay in its severe form which is called nursing caries or early childhood caries (ECC) has impact on child growth and development. Children diagnosed with ECC weighed less than the matched control group due to the impact of pain and dysfunction on child’s eating and sleeping habit[2]. Oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) is measured by different tools[3,4]. In pre-school age children, Pahel developed ECOHIS questionnaire[5], which was validated in local languages[6]. Severe form of ECC (S-ECC) is defined as the presence of any sign of smooth-surface caries in children younger than 3 years of age or detecting 1 or more cavitated lesions in smooth surfaces of maxillary anterior teeth or more than 4 decayed, missing, or filled surfaces in 3-5-year old children[7]. Parents of children under 5 years old attending three clinics providing complete dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA) consisting of Imam Khomeini Hospital, Mofid Children’s Hospital, and Shayamehr Clinics in Tehran, entered the study after ethical clearance and asked to fill in the validated Farsi version of ECOHIS questionnaire (n=81). Cases referred had severe caries, however were re-examined by two independent pediatric dentists to confirm the need for treatment under GA. Those children having severe medical conditions and mental retardation were excluded. On the 1st and 2nd follow-up sessions 4 weeks and 3-months after dental rehabilitation the same family member who spent most of the time with the child was asked to fill in the same questionnaire.