The impact of dental caries and its treatment under general anaesthetic on children and their families

R Knapp,Z Marshman,F Gilchrist,H Rodd

doi:10.1007/s40368-020-00591-1

Abstract

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of dental caries and treatment under general anaesthetic (GA) on the everyday lives of children and their families, using child-reported measures of quality of life (QoL) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).MethodParticipants, aged 5–16 years old having treatment for dental caries under GA, were recruited from new patient clinics at Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, Sheffield. OHRQoL was measured before and 3-months after treatment using the Caries Impacts and Experiences Questionnaire for Children (CARIES-QC). Overall QoL was measured using the Child Health Utility 9D (CHU9D). Parents/caregivers completed the Family Impact Scale (FIS).ResultsEighty five parent–child dyads completed the study. There was statistically significant improvement in OHRQoL (mean interval score difference in CARIES-QC = 4.43, p < 0.001) and QoL (mean score difference in CHU9D = 2.48, p < 0.001) following treatment, with moderate to large effect sizes. There was statistically significant improvement in FIS scores (mean score difference = 5.48, p = 0.03).ConclusionsTreatment under GA was associated with improvement in QoL and OHRQoL as reported by children, and reduced impacts on the family. This work highlights the importance of GA services in reducing the caries-related impacts experienced by children. Further work is needed investigate the impact of clinical, environmental and individual factors.

Highlights

Dental caries remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases of childhood, affecting 60–90% of children worldwide
There was no significant difference in these demographic variables between those who completed the study and those who did not (Table 1)
All individual impacts were reduced following treatment, albeit to varying degrees. These results suggest that treatment under general anaesthetic (GA) results in significant improvements in the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and overall quality of life (QoL) of children, three months following treatment

Summary

Introduction

Dental caries remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases of childhood, affecting 60–90% of children worldwide. There is wide variation between with within countries, for example, in Europe between 20 and 90% of children aged six have dental caries (Petersen 2003). Many children with dental caries receive treatment under general anaesthetic (GA) and in the UK, it remains the most common reason for a child to be admitted to hospital. In 2018/2019, in England alone, there were approximately 59,000 ‘Finished Consultant Episodes’ for children and adolescents (aged 0–19) admitted for dental extractions under GA (Public Health England 2020). These statistics are shocking when we consider that dental caries is an almost entirely preventable disease

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Discussion

Conclusion