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CHANGES IN YOUNG CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (OHRQOL)
FOLLOWING DENTAL TREATMENT UNDER GENERAL ANAESTHESIA PERCEIVED BY
PARENTS
NMRR-19-1081-47811

Berhan Nordin EA. Marhalim MZ

Introduction: Early childhood caries (ECC) has negative psychosocial effects on children and
they may require dental general anaesthesia (DGA) treatment in the operating room due
to limited ability to cooperate during the treatment procedures. Therefore, the ultimate
goal of dental treatment under general anaesthesia (DGA) is to improve a quality of life of
the affected children. Objective: To analyze possible changes in oral health related quality
of life (OHRQOL) before and after DGA among preschool children in two hospitals from
Penang, Malaysia and to identify the predictor(s) for ECC. Materials and Methods: A total
of 87 parents of preschool children aged 2-6 years who sufferred from ECC and scheduled
for DGA were recruited from two hospitals in Penang (Hospital Pulau Pinang and Hospital
Seberang Jaya) to participate in this study. Prior to their child’s scheduled DGA, the parents
responded to a questionnaire comprising of two sections namely socio-demographics
information and Malay version of Early Childhood Oral Health Scale (M-ECOHIS). Following
one-month DGA treatment, the parents were requested to complete the M-ECOHIS part
only. The children’s OHRQOL were evaluated by calculating the change scores and effect
sizes (ES). Data analysis was done using combination of Paired sample t test, McNemar test
and multiple regression analysis. Results: The response rate was 88.5%. Of 77 parents who
completed the study, the M-ECOHIS yielded large ES for total scores (1.0). The M-ECOHIS
score decreased significantly from a mean score of 11.8 to 3.9 (p<0.001) after DGA
treatment, revealing a large ES for the child (1.1) section and family (0.6) section. Pain and
difficulty on eating among children and parents feeling guilty were the most frequently
reported impacts. Father’s education level and household income were significantly
associated with M-ECOHIS score. Conclusion: The OHRQoL of young children requiring DGA
in two hospitals from Penang is greatly impaired. Dental treatment under general
anaesthesia resulted in significant improvement of the children’s OHRQOL. This suggests
that if ECC is left untreated, it would negatively affect the OHRQoL, and DGA is deemed
necessary in improving the quality of life of affected children and their families.

Keywords: preschool children, M-ECOHIS, quality of life

Virtual oral presentation at the Malaysian Association Paediatric Dentistry (MAPD) Virtual Scientific Conference 2021, on 13-
th
14 March 2021
Dr Eizatul Aishah binti Berhan Nordin
Dr Muhammad Zulfadhli bin Marhalim
Department of Paediatric Dentistry
Penang General Hospital

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