Responsiveness of the Arabic version of the ECOHIS to dental rehabilitation under general anaesthesia.

BACKGROUND: The Arabic version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (A-ECOHIS) has been validated, but its ability to detect change was not tested.

AIM: To evaluate the responsiveness of the A-ECOHIS to dental rehabilitation under general anaesthesia (DRGA).

DESIGN: A consecutive sample of 131 parents of children aged 6 years or younger, scheduled for DRGA were recruited from three public hospitals. The parents completed the A-ECOHIS before and 4 weeks following DRGA. The responsiveness of the A-ECOHIS was assessed by evaluating changes in scores before and after DRGA, and by measuring the change in scores in relation to the global question.

RESULTS: The A-ECOHIS scores were higher among parents who reported poor oral health on the global question than those reporting better oral health (P = 0.001). There was a significant reduction in the scores at follow-up (P < 0.001). The effect size was 1.5 for the total scale, and 1.3 and 1.6 for the child and family impacts, respectively. After DRGA, the child and family impact section scores decreased by 78.6% and 77.9%, respectively. The majority of parents reported improvement in children's overall oral health-related quality of life post-operatively (94%).

CONCLUSION: The A-ECOHIS was responsive to DRGA.