Oral health–related quality of life (OHRQOL) of preschool children’s anterior teeth restored with zirconia crowns versus resin-bonded composite strip crowns: a 12-month prospective clinical trial

OBJECTIVES: To compare oral health–related quality of Life (OHRQOL) of preschool children’s anterior teeth restored with prefabricated zirconia crowns (ZC) versus resin-bonded composite strip crown (RCSC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective clinical trial included 136 children with early childhood caries aged 36–71 months who were assigned into prefabricated ZC and RCSC groups. A total of 344 teeth were restored either with 170 ZCs (49.4%) and 174 RCSCs (50.6%). Wilson and Cleary’s conceptual model was to associate the study predictors to the OHRQOL. Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) was used to assess the OHRQOL at 6 and 12 months. Mann–Whitney U test was used in comparing OHRQOL mean scores in the two groups and Wilcoxon signed-rank test with the effect size (r) to measure the intragroup OHRQOL change. A Poisson regression model was used to study potential risk factors associated with the overall OHRQOL. RESULTS: After 12 months, the USPHS parameters of the ZC were significantly superior compared to the RCSC. Overall ECOHIS mean scores in the ZC group were significantly lower than that of the RCSC group at T(1) and T(2) (p < 0.001). Remarkable enhancement of the OHRQOL at the follow-ups with a large effect size (r < 0.8) was observed. Restoration type, retention, baseline OHRQOL, and color had a significant impact on the overall OHRQOL at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Preschool children OHRQOL treated with ZC were significantly better than those who received RCSC. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: One of the optimum treatment standards in pediatric dentistry is the esthetic demand which has significance on the child’s OHRQOL and subsequently child’s general health quality of life. It is beneficial to the dentist to identify the influence of esthetic restorations on the OHRQOL of preschool children which aids in future decision-making. The longitudinal nature of the study enables the dentist to identify the changes of children’s OHRQOL. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00784-021-04359-9.