Evaluation of the quality of life in pediatric patients undergoing dental treatment under general anesthesia

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of different types and numbers of dental treatments on the quality of life by comparing pre-treatment and one-month post-treatment quality of life in children under 72 months of age diagnosed with early childhood caries and treated under general anesthesia. Method: The study included 35 children under 72 months of age who were previously unable to cooperate in the clinical setting and required dental treatment under general anesthesia due to a diagnosis of early childhood caries. These children were classified as ASA I and ASA II according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification system, with no physical, mental disabilities, or syndromes. The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) questionnaire was administered to parents both before treatment and at the one-month follow-up to assess the children's quality of life. Sociodemographic data, including the child's gender, age in months, weight, parental income level, and educational background, were also recorded. Preoperative dft/DMFT scores were determined and dental treatments performed under general anesthesia were documented. Statistical analyses were conducted after testing assumptions for selecting parametric or non-parametric tests. Normality was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Paired sample t-tests were used for dependent groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was employed for comparisons between independent groups. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine relationships between numerical variables. A significance level of 0.05 was set. The reliability of the scale scores was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha test. Parametric tests were applied for variables with p<0.05 in the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Results: The mean age of the 35 patients included in the study was 60,11±8,20 months, and the mean dft score was 12,62±3,43. The mean pre-treatment weight was 17,34±2,48 kg, which increased to 17,89±2,56 kg at the one-month follow-up. The majority of parents reported incomes above the minimum wage and had received secondary or higher education. No statistically significant relationships were found between changes in quality of life subscale scores and sociodemographic variables or dft scores (p>0,05). In the child subscale, statistically significant changes were observed in all quality of life subscales except for the social impact indicator, indicating an improvement in quality of life (p<0,05). No statistically significant difference was found between the types of dental treatment performed and changes in quality of life (p>0,05). Conclusion: Dental treatment under general anesthesia resulted in an improvement in the quality of life of pediatric patients. Sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, parental education and socioeconomic levels, types of dental treatments performed under general anesthesia, and caries scores were found to have no significant impact on quality of life. General anesthesia for dental treatment is considered a beneficial treatment option for young children who are unable to cooperate in clinical settings, as it leads to improvements in their quality of life. Keywords: Early childhood caries, General anesthesia, Quality of life