Evaluation of the Quality of Life of Pediatric Patients Undergoing Dental Treatment Under General Anesthesia

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate changes in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children with early childhood caries treated under general anesthesia (GA) and to assess whether treatment-related factors were associated with these changes.Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study included 35 pediatric patients under 72 months of age who underwent comprehensive dental treatment under GA. All participants were classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I or II and had no systemic, mental, or syndromic conditions. OHRQoL was assessed using the Turkish version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), completed by parents prior to treatment and at a one-month postoperative follow-up. In addition, demographic characteristics and decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft/DMFT) indices were recorded. Statistical analyses were performed using appropriate tests, and a p-value of