Background.  Childhood cancer survivors may have experienced a high number of invasive medical and dental procedures, which may affect their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

Aim.  To compare children who have survived cancer and children without cancer with respect to OHRQoL.

Design.  In a cross-sectional study, we compared the OHRQoL of children treated for cancer at Aalborg Hospital with the OHRQoL of classmates without cancer. All children answered The Danish version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ). Children aged 8–10 (n = 95) answered CPQ_8–10, with 27 questions, and children aged 11–14 (n = 138) answered the CPQ_11–14, with 39 questions.

Results.  Children with cancer rated their OHRQoL better or equal to those without cancer. The mean overall CPQ_8–10 score was 5.6 (95% CI: 2.5–8.6) among 18 children who have survived cancer and 8.8 (95% CI: 7.3–10.3) among those without cancer (n = 77) the mean difference was −3.3 (95% CI: −6.5 to 0.1). The overall mean CPQ_11–14 score was 12.5 (95% CI: 6.8–18.2) among 24 children who have survived cancer and 11.8 (95% CI: 10.3–13.3) among those without cancer (n = 114) the mean difference was −0.7 (95% CI: −4.9 to 6.3).

Conclusion.  Cancer and cancer treatment during childhood was not associated with a decreased OHRQoL.

Source: International Journal of Pediatric Dentistry

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