Parental Satisfaction and OHRQoL of Preschool Children after Receiving ART

Objectives: To study the effect of placement of atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) restoration on parental satisfaction and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of preschool children with untreated or SDF-treated dentin caries lesions.
Methods: In a clinical trial conducted in Hong Kong, children aged 3-4 years who had cavitated dentin caries lesions in their primary teeth were randomly assigned to receive application of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) solution or placebo (tonic water) on their caries lesions 10 weeks before receiving ART restorations. Parents were asked to rate their satisfaction with the appearance and health status of their child’s teeth on a 5-point scale (5=very satisfied, 1=very dissatisfied) before and six months after ART restoration placement. Besides, the Chinese version of Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) was used to assess OHRQoL.
Results: A total of 194 children with parental consent participated in this study, with 101 and 93 children receiving SDF and placebo application before receiving ART restorations, respectively. There was no significant difference in parental satisfaction between the two groups before ART restoration placement. In the SDF group, mean(±SD) parental satisfaction score regarding color of their child’s front teeth increased from 2.6(±1.0) at baseline to 2.9(±1.0) at 6-month follow-up (paired t-test, p=0.001). In the placebo group, the mean parental satisfaction score also increased, from 2.7(±1.0) at baseline to 2.9(±1.0) at follow-up (paired t-test, p=0.044). The mean score regarding health of their child’s teeth also increased over the same time period, from 2.2(±1.0) to 2.8(±1.0) (paired t-test, p<0.001) in the SDF group and from 2.3(±1.0) to 2.7(±1.0) (paired t-test, p<0.001) in the placebo group. However, no significant changes in ECOHIS scores were found in either of the two groups after ART restoration placement.
Conclusions: Placement of ART restorations can improve parental satisfaction with the appearance and health of their child’s teeth.