Improving Family's Adherence to Dental Care After DGA (HECC-CAN-study)

NCT04898465 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: HUS/180/220
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 89
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a common disease. Its prevalence is highest in poor, socially disadvantaged, and minority groups. Dental treatment under General Anaesthesia (DGA) is common, especially among the youngest patients. Parental adherence to child's post-DGA dental treatment is varying. Non-attendance to preventive care appointments and dental check-ups after the DGA is also common. The primary aim of this study is to explore if a multi-professional (paediatrician and social worker) intervention after the child's DGA can increase the adherence to post-DGA dental care. The secondary aim is to compare its possible influence on children's oral health 18 months after the DGA. Our hypothesis is that multi-professional counselling and support after the DGA will lead to better adherence to the scheduled preventive dental programme and better oral health for these children in the long run.

Conditions

Dental Caries; Child Neglect

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Number of uncancelled dental appointments after DGA

  Amount of unused or uncancelled dental appointment times after DGA

  0-18 months after the DGA

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Number of new decayed teeth after DGA

  0-18 months after the DGA

Study Arms (2)

Social Paediatric Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Multiprofessional social paediatric meeting with the family.

Other: Social Paediatric Intervention

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

Normal post-DGA dental programme.

Interventions

Social Paediatric Intervention OTHER

Family will meet the hospital's social-paediatrician and social worker. Together they will evaluate the need for social support, risk for neglect and refer families for local social services if needed. The visit will contain primary and secondary prophylaxis of child abuse and neglect.

Social Paediatric Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: Up to 5 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• reason for DGA is dental caries
• place of birth is Finland
• primary dentition

You may not qualify if:

• chronic disease which needs treatment in tertiary hospital

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Helsinki University Central Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

New Children's Hospital

Helsinki, Finland

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Savanheimo N, Vehkalahti MM. Five-year follow-up of children receiving comprehensive dental care under general anesthesia. BMC Oral Health. 2014 Dec 15;14:154. doi: 10.1186/1472-6831-14-154.

  PMID: 25512015 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dental Caries

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tooth Demineralization; Tooth Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases

Study Officials

• Eeva Nikkola, MD, PhD

  Consultant

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 3, 2021
• First Posted: May 24, 2021
• Study Start: February 26, 2021
• Primary Completion: January 1, 2023
• Study Completion: January 1, 2024
• Last Updated: September 18, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FI (1)