204 - Traumatic Dental Injuries Impacting the Quality of Life in Children

Purpose: Traumatic dental injury (TDI) can affect quality of life by disfigurement that negatively impacts social relationships. The aim of this study is to test if there is an association between TDI and Children Oral Health Quality of Life (COHQoL) among children aged 8 -14 years using the Children Perception Questionnaire (CPQ). We hypothesize that children at aged 8-14 years with exposure to TDI have negative effects and impact on the on quality of life compared to children without TDI.

Methods: The study was conducted using Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ) in children ages 8-14 years old with TDI who presented to ULSD pediatric dental clinic within one year of injury. Thirty-two patients (16 subjects, 16 controls) were enrolled into the study and interviewed (44% boys, 56% girls) with sex and age matched. TDI was classified using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (DMFT) for upper and lower anterior teeth. The CPQ which consisted of 20 (YES/NO) questions addressing oral symptoms, functional limitation, emotional and social well-being was completed via direct interview of the patient with guardian consent. For statistical analysis, Fisher's exact test was used to compare the control and subject groups. Significance was defined as p < 0.05.

Results: Evaluation of the overall CPQ scores shows children with history of TDI had a higher score compared to controls.

Conclusion: Timely-performed dental management of the TDI could allow for preventing further disfigurement and socio-psychological impact. Increased sample size could be performed in the future to improve confidence level.