Aims and Objectives: The main aims of the present study were firstly to measure changes in OHRQoL using a child self-report measure before dental extractions under a general anaesthetic and after one and three months. Secondly, to elicit children’s experiences of dental extractions under a general anaesthetic using an interview topic guide.
Method: Children aged five to eight years seen at the Leeds Dental Institute for dental extractions under a general anaesthetic were invited in this study. This study was constituted of two phases. The first phase included a quantitative prospective longitudinal study, which involved measuring status and changes in OHRQoL in children seen at the Leeds Dental Institute for dental extractions under a general anaesthetic. Changes in OHRQoL status was measured using the CARIES-QC questionnaire, prior to commencing the treatment and then followed at one and three months after the treatment. The second phase was a qualitative study; semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken with children who underwent dental extractions under a general anaesthetic. Participants were all selected from the One Day Unit, an outpatient clinic. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data was analysed using the framework analysis method.
Results:
Phase 1 : In total, 35 children were recruited, and 28 were followed-up. There was a statistically significant improvement in OHRQoL following dental extractions under general anaesthesia (p<0.005). The effect size was large at one-month (0.93) and three-months (1.66). There was a statistically significant moderate correlation between total number of teeth extracted and follow-up CARIES-QC score, r = 0.453, p<0.05. However, there was no statistically significant difference between total number of teeth extracted and difference in CARIES-QC score between baseline and follow-up, r=0.15, p=0.45.
Phase 2: Five, dentally anxious, children who underwent dental extractions under
general anaesthesia were included in this study. The interviews were carried out at a range of 10-15 weeks following their procedure. The main themes explored in the interviews were: pre-operative events, general anaesthesia experience, post-operative events, and treatment preference. All children reported they would prefer to have dental extractions under general anaesthesia as opposed to other treatment approaches.
Conclusion Dental extractions under general anaesthesia resulted in substantial
improvement in OHRQoL in children with dental caries. Children with higher numbers of teeth extractions had poorer OHRQoL at baseline and follow-up. Children interviewed in this study demonstrated a variety of immediate and delayed impacts of dental extractions under general anaesthesia. Although some negative impacts were mentioned, the overall dental general anaesthesia experience was positive.
