title: Pediatric oral health-related quality of life improvement after treatment of early childhood caries: a prospective multisite study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study's purpose was to compare changes in parent-reported pediatric oral health-related quality of life between children with early childhood caries (ECC) and children who were caries-free; the ECC children received surgical dental intervention between baseline and follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  A newly developed self-report instrument, the POQL, was administered to 501 parents of 2- to 8-year-old children (caries-free=315; ECC=186) in hospital dental clinics in Columbus, Ohio, and Washington, D.C.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, ECC children were more likely to have fair or poor oral health and were rated as having more pain and trouble with physical, mental, and social functioning due to their teeth or mouth vs caries-free children (P<.001). At 6 and 12 months following dental treatment for ECC, there were significant improvements in parental ratings of their children's oral health status and a significant reduction in problems reported with physical, mental, and social functioning (all P<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with caries-free children, early childhood caries children were more likely to have worse questionnaire response scores and to experience greater negative impacts on physical, mental, and social functioning. Dental interventions in ECC children had a significant positive impact on parental ratings of their overall oral health and physical, mental, and social functioning.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Dentistry, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA. dcunnion@bu.edu
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Cunnion
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spiro
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Rich
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Papageorgiou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tate
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Casamassimo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003710:Demography; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires