Parental Satisfaction of Preschool Children After Receiving ART Restorations

Objectives: To investigate the short-term and long-term changes in parental satisfaction of preschool children after receiving atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) with or without prior silver diamine fluoride (SDF) application.
Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, preschool children with cavitated dentine caries lesions in their primary teeth were randomly assigned into two groups to receive either application of SDF solution or placebo (tonic water) on the caries lesions 10 weeks before receiving ART restorations. Parental satisfaction regarding four aspects of their child’s teeth, (1) dental health status (tooth decay); (2) colour of anterior teeth (including stain); (3) alignment of anterior teeth; and (4) overall dental appearance, was collected through self-completed questionnaire at baseline (1 week before receiving ART restoration), the 6-month and the 24-month follow-up. A five-point scale, from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied), was used by parents to indicate their satisfaction with their child’s dental conditions.
Results: A total of 194 children participated in this study, with 101 and 93 children receiving SDF and placebo application before ART restoration, respectively. In both groups, parental satisfaction score with their child’s dental health status (decayed teeth) was significantly higher at 6-month (2.8±1.0) and 24-month (2.6±1.0) follow-ups compared with that at baseline (2.2±0.8) (p<0.001). In the SDF group, parental satisfaction score with their child’s tooth colour was significantly higher at the 6-month follow-up (2.9±1.1 vs 2.6±1.0) (p<0.05), but this change was not observed at the 24-month follow-up. Despite this, for both study groups, parental satisfaction scores with their child’s tooth alignment and overall dental appearance did not change significantly (p>0.05) at either the 6-month or the 24-month follow-up.
Conclusions: In this study, after the placement of ART restorations irrespective of prior SDF application, short-term and long-term parental satisfaction with their child’s dental health status was improved.