Treatment Procedures and Changes in Oral Health-Related Quality of Life

Objectives: Aim was to evaluate the association between dental treatment procedures and the change in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) during four years among parents in the FinnBrain Cohort Study.
Methods: This longitudinal study used data from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study (www.finnbrain.fi). Participants were recruited during pregnancy in the South-Western Finland in 2011–2015. Ethical clearance and signed consent were obtained. All mothers to be (n=5790) and fathers who participated in the ultrasonography appointment with the mother were informed about the study. A total of 3808 mothers and 2624 fathers decided to participate. Between pregnancy and the 4-year measurement point, 1140 mothers (43%) and 476 (18%) fathers had used public oral health care services. Of those, 434 (42%) mothers and 155 (30%) fathers had answered the Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire at the gestational week 34 and 4-year measurement point. OHIP-14 severity score (sum of the ordinal responses, range 0-56) was calculated, smaller values indicating better OHRQoL.Data on dental treatments were obtained from the national patient register.
Results: Table shows the mean severity scores according to treatment procedure type received. Most of the parents had restorative procedures during the study. Overall, OHRQoL worsened during the study. OHRQoL improved only among those with orthodontics procedures.
Conclusions: Dental treatment procedures seemed to have a limited impact on OHRQoL among parents of young children.