What is the impact on families of children having dental treatment under general anaesthetic?

Data sources PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. Study selection Studies involving patients aged between 0-16 years of age having dental general anaesthetic (DGA), where Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) and Child Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (COHRQoL) pre- and post-operative assessments were made, were considered. Data extraction and synthesis The quality of studies was assessed by two reviewers using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies. Information on study design and instruments used to record family impact scale (FIS) were extracted. The main outcome was changes in the FIS section presented as mean difference (MD). Results After an initial search of 105 studies in the database, 21 articles were included in the analysis. A positive outcome in the FIS changes was identified in all studies. The combined MD for FIS using ECOHIS and COHRQoL was 1.52 (95% CI 1.15-1.89; P