Parental Perceptions of Oral Health Related Quality of Life for Children that Receive Care on Give Kids a Smile Day

PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS OF RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CHILDREN THAT RECEIVE CARE ON GIVE KIDS A SMILE DAY By Andrew Clayton Gibson DDS A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016 Thesis Advisor: Elizabeth Berry, DDS, MS, MPH Vice Chair, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the oral health-related quality of life for patients treated at Give Kids a Smile. Methods: Participants were asked to complete a 25question survey regarding their child’s oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), with answers ranked on a 0 to 4 point scale. Results: A total of 78 questionnaires were completed, with the mean score of 5.19. Conclusions: Give Kids a Smile was created to treat children with unmet oral healthcare needs, therefore it was hypothesized that the OHRQoL for the children treated would be negatively impacted and thus this score high. This was not demonstrated in the current study and these findings could be due to a variety of factors, including relying on the parent to report the child’s symptoms as well as low oral health literacy for parents completing the questionnaires.