Oral health related quality of life of preschool children participating in a randomized clinical trial of different treatment regimens of silver diamine fluoride

Objective: To investigate the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of young children in a randomized clinical trial of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) with 5% fluoride varnish (FV) to manage early childhood caries (ECC). Methods: Children < 72 months of age with active dentinal caries lesions (ICDAS 5 or 6) in primary teeth received two applications of 38% SDF and 5% FV as part of a randomized clinical trial testing three different frequency regimes (1, 4 and 6 months apart). The early childhood oral health impact scale (ECOHIS) questionnaire was completed at each study visit. Statistical analyses included descriptive and parametric methods. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was statistically significant. Results: Eighty-two children (58.5% male) were recruited with a mean age of 44.3±14.2 months. Statistically significant improvement in total ECOHIS scores for all children was observed following treatment (baseline mean scores 4.64±4.74 vs. second visit score 3.26±4.36 vs. third visit score 3.25±3.77, p=0.006 and p=0.01, respectively). The following domains showed the most improvement with SDF treatment: parental distress, and family function. No statistically significant difference in ECOHIS scores were observed between the three frequency groups at baseline, second visit, and final visit (p=0.24, p=0.71 and 0.26) Conclusions: Children exhibited improved overall OHRQoL following two applications of 38% SDF and 5% FV, although there were no significant differences observed between the treatment groups. The results from our study demonstrate that SDF is a suitable non-restorative caries management option for children with ECC as it is associated with improved oral health related quality of life.