Objective: Health care providers in emergency settings encounter emotional issues
in treating traumatic dental injuries TDIs which may have a significant negative impact on
the quality of life. Assessing OHRQoL of children with TDIs, in emergency,
promote a
shift from traditional dental management to a more supportive care that focuses on a
person’s social and emotional status and physical functioning in which appropriate health
care and optimal outcomes can be obtained. The objective of this study is to investigate the
impact of TDIs on the quality of life of 7to16-year-old Syrian school children and to test
whether treatment of TDI will improve their OHRQoL.
Basic research design:A case-control study was carried out involving 147children
aged 7 to 16 years attending the Department of Pediatric Dentistry in Damascus
University. Andreasen classification was adopted for TDI diagnosis. CPQ11-14 instrument
was utilized to assess OHRQoL.
Results: Findings of this study revealed significant differences in OHRQoL items
before and after treatment of participating children. There were no statistically significant
differences between healthy children and those who were treated with TDI in regard to the
overall OHRQoL (P > 0.05).
Conclusions: OHRQoL was significantly improved in children with TDIs after
treatment. Oral symptoms, functional limitations, emotional and social well-being were
similar to healthy children. Health professionals in Syria should put efforts to make war
less damaging for children and their parents. Dentistry during the crisis goes beyond filling
and drilling of injured teeth to a moral commitment within a supportive and caring context.
Background and Aim: Dental caries and malocclusion are among the most common
chronic dental diseases in childhood. The aim of present study was to assess the severity of
dental caries and orthodontic treatment needs and the relation between them in
a sample of
10- to 12-year-old Damascus schoolchildren.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1428 children (677 males and 751
females), all were in the late mixed dentitions and orthodontically untreated. Their dental
health status was assessed using DMFT index and need for orthodontic treatment by the
dental health component of the index of orthodontic treatment need (DHC-IOTN).
Analytical statistics were calculated using 2-sample t-test, Chi-square, One-way ANOVA
and Bonferroni tests. All the results were judged at a 95% confidence level.
Results: The overall mean of DMFT was 4.4±3.2 without significant differences
between males and females (p=0.705). Extreme and severe need for orthodontic treatment
(grades 4 and 5 of IOTN) was registered in 341 subjects (23.88%), without significant
differences between males and females (p=0.710). The severity of dental caries was
significantly greater among patients with more severe grades of orthodontic treatment
need.
Conclusions: The DHC-IOTN index is reliable and userfriendly, which can be used
for orthodontic epidemiological studies. There is significant relation between higher
DMFT index and orthodontic treatment need. Therefore, early treatment and preventive
national programmes is strongly advised.
