Objectives: This study was conducted to describe the impact of oral health problems resulting
from Early Childhood Caries (ECC) on the quality of life of the child and his family, and the effect
of dental treatment under General Anesthesia (DGA).
Study design: Children participated in this study were referred to General anesthesia Unit during
July, August, and September 2015. All children were preschool with an age ranged between 2 to
less than 6 years, suffering from ECC with minimum dmf = 4. The parents received a questionnaire
called Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) on the day of the GA session to be
completed about the child's oral health conditions and well-being over the past 3 months. Then the
same questionnaire was used and completed once again at the first follow up visit one month later.
Results: The total ECOHIS and all ECOHIS domains were significantly and dramatically
improved except for the domain of child psychology. The most reported items for the child after
GA treatment was difficulty in eating (14.4%) followed by pain (9.4%). While for the family the
most reported item was the financial burden (7.2%).
Conclusions: ECC has a great impact on the quality of life of both children and their families
.High scores of ECOHIS were recorded before DGA which means poor quality of life, while these
scores were dramatically decreased after DGA with a significant improvement in the quality of life.