Impact of dental sedation treatment on the oral health‐related quality of life of distressed young children: A secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial

Introduction Little is known regarding the impact of dental treatment under sedation on distressed young children's oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL). Aim To evaluate the impact of dental treatment under sedation on the OHRQoL of children and their families. Methods Caregivers of two‐to‐six‐year‐old children answered the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (B‐ECOHIS): (1) before treatment under sedation (T0), (2) two weeks (T1) and (3) 3 months after the completion of treatment (T2). A global transition judgment was included in the posttreatment evaluations to determine the perception of changes in OHRQoL after dental treatment. Bivariate analysis was performed. Changes in scores and effect sizes (ES) were calculated. Results Reductions were found at both posttreatment evaluations in the total B‐ECOHIS scores (median [25th–75th percentile] at T0: 14 [9.8–21.7]; T1: 2.0 [0.0–5.1]; T2: 2.0 [0.0–6.7]); “child impact” section (T0: 8.8 [4.0–13.1]; T1: 0.0 [0.0–2.2]; T2: 0.0 [0.0–4.3]) and “family impact” section (T0: 6.0 [4.0–8.5]; T1: 0.0 [0.0–2.0]; T2: 0.0 [0.0–2.0]) (≤0.001; large ES). In 92.3% of cases at T1 and 88.3% at T2, caregivers reported that their child's oral health improved considerably. Conclusion Dental treatment under sedation significantly improved the OHRQoL of the children and their families.