Changes in oral health-related quality of life among children following dental treatment under general anaesthesia. A systematic review.

AIM To review the results of studies reporting data on changes in aspects of children's oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) following dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA). To describe instruments measuring children's OHRQoL used in the studies. METHODS A literature review was carried out to identify relevant studies reporting data on changes in aspects of children's OHRQoL following dental treatment under GA. The data was extracted from the selected papers. RESULTS The review included 11 journal articles, which presented the results of clinical trials. The studies were based on different questionnaires measuring children's OHRQoL and parental satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS Oral rehabilitation under GA results in the immediate improvement of children's oral health and physical, emotional and social quality of life. It also has a positive impact on the family. However, a more accurate comparison of results is not possible due to differences in instruments used. And no single decision exists on the choice of the instrument measuring children's OHRQoL following dental treatment under GA. It may be concluded that further studies on measuring long term OHRQoL changes and studies surveying children are needed.