Effects of severe dentoalveolar trauma on the quality‐of‐life of children and parents

TLDR

The study evaluated how severe dental trauma affects pain perception and quality of life in children and their parents over a one‑year period. Researchers measured pain with a visual analogue scale and assessed quality of life using the Child Oral Health Quality of Life questionnaire in 27 patient‑parent pairs, observing a stepwise decline in pain from injury to splint removal. Results showed that severe dental injuries caused significant, persistent reductions in quality of life for both children and parents at 12 months, with children reporting broader social and well‑being impacts while parents noted mainly oral symptoms.

Abstract

This investigation assessed the effects of dental trauma on the perception of pain and quality of life (QoL) of patient-parent pairs for a year following severe injuries.A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the pain of injury and treatment for 27 individuals 8-20 years and their parents. The Child Oral Health Quality of Life (COHQoL) survey was used to assess the effects of dental injuries on the QoL of 23 children aged 8-14 and their parents.Mean VAS scores revealed that all patients and parents perceived the pain of initial injury to be significantly greater than pain of splint removal (P < or = 0.05) and that pain decreased in a stepwise manner from injury through emergency treatment to splint removal. The COHQoL questionnaire demonstrated a profound and continuing effect on children and their parent's QoL following severe dental injury. The initial parental COHQoL score was significantly greater than the 12-month score (P < or = 0.05) in both 8-10 and 11-14- year-olds. The COHQoL results indicated a measurable reduction in the QoL of patients and parents was still present 12-months after the injuries. At the end of one-year children were still affected by the social and well-being aspects of the injury yet parents exclusively reported that one-year effects were limited to their children's oral symptoms and functional limitations.Severe dental injuries produce initial and ongoing pain. Detrimental effects on the QoL of both children and parents are still present at one-year and these long-term effects are different for children and parents.