Comparative study of postoperative morbidity in dental treatment under general anesthesia in pediatric patients with and without an underlying disease

Abstract

To identify and quantify the variables and their influence on postoperative morbidity in dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA) in pediatric patients with and without an underlying disease. A prospective, descriptive, and comparative analysis was conducted of healthy (n=49) and disabled/medically compromised (n=81) children treated under GA. Intra-/post-surgical, clinical epidemiology, technical, care-related, and pharmacologic data were gathered, as were postoperative complications. The average age of ASA I patients (6.7±4.4years) was younger than that of ASA II-III patients (9.0±4.5years). Average hospitalization time was 4.27±6.5h in ASA I and 7.41±6.8h in ASA II-III. Significant differences were found between the two groups in fillings, pulpotomies, oral surgery, and scaling. Postoperative morbidity in ASA I and ASA II-III was similar both in frequency and severity and decreased during the first 72h. The most common complication in both groups was toothache. Postoperative morbidity is high after dental treatment under GA, but it is not higher in disabled/medically compromised patients.