Oral Health-related Quality of Life Impact in Children and Children With Special Needs Undergoing Dental Treatment Under General Anaesthesia – An Institutional Study

ABSTRACT

@#Introduction: Numerous studies have examined both the effect of caries and dental care under general anaesthesia affecting children and children with special needs, but there is still scant information on the relationship between both classes. Thus this project is aimed i) to compare oral health-related quality of life in children and children with special needs undergoing dental care under general anaesthesia (GA) and ii) To compare the impact on oral health-related quality of life in children and children with special needs. Methods: Forty-six children (25 normal children, 21 children with special needs) are recruited. Participating parents completed a brief version of the Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ) and Family Impact Scale (FIS) before the treatment and subsequent follow-up appointments (4 weeks to 8 weeks). Oral symptoms, social health, psychology, functional limitation, and family effect ratings, the mean, standard deviations, and statistical differences between groups were analysed. Results: 52.2% of both parent groups rated the oral health status of their children as low before GA, and it improved considerably, with 69.6% of parents rating post-operatively as healthy. The most recorded impacts at baseline were pain, discomfort, often annoyed and angry among children and parents feeling guilty and upset due to the condition of the child. Conclusion: Oral rehabilitation under GA leads to the immediate improvement of oral health, mental, and social quality among the children in both groups. However, for parents of children with special needs, despite the effort to eradicate dental-related issues, the overall quality of life shows no significant improvements.