103 - Comparing OHRQoL for Children Before and After General Anesthesia

Comparing OHRQoL for Children Before and After General Anesthesia, Desai B, Hill B, da Fonseca MA, LeHew C, Lee H (University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry, Chicago, IL)

Purpose: To compare children’s oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) before and after general anesthesia (GA) for complete oral rehabilitation.


Methods: The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) is a validated 13-item instrument measuring OHRQoL. ECOHIS was administered to English and Spanish speaking guardians of healthy (American Society of Anesthesiologists classifications I and II) pediatric patients seen for complete oral rehabilitation under GA at a university-based outpatient care center. The survey was administered again at the 6-month recall visit or virtually within the 6-month to 1-year period after GA to assess any change in OHRQoL. Baseline and follow-up scores were analyzed using paired samples t-test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test.


Results: A total of 86 guardians completed baseline surveys between (include month/year ranges), and 33 completed the follow-up survey. There was a significant difference in the total ECOHIS scores prior to GA (Mean=27.51­+/-8.31) compared to after GA (Mean=18.94+/-5.36), showing a trend toward improved OHRQoL (P < .001). There was a significant difference (P <.001) in the baseline Child Impact Score subdomain (Mean=17.89+/-5.37) compared to the follow-up score (Mean=12.84+/-3.54). There was a significant difference (P < .001) in the baseline Family Impact Score subdomain (Mean=9.26+/-3.97) compared to the follow-up score (Mean=6.09+/-2.61).


Conclusions: OHRQoL significantly improved for both children and their families following GA for complete oral rehabilitation. This suggests GA can improve child symptoms, function, psychology, and social interactions while reducing parent distress and impact on family function.