Abstract
The purpose is to analyze the medical characteristics of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) recommended for dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA), postoperative complications, and dental treatment outcomes under the regulation of the Spanish Dental Care Program (PADI). 111 clinical records were selected. The study population was divided into three age groups. The quantitative data was specified as the mean ± SD. For the qualitative variables, the Chi-Square test was used. One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni tests were used to examine the effect of the “age group” and the number of treatment procedures. A total of 1473 treatment procedures were performed, of which 110 (7.5%) were cleanings, 898 (61%) were restorative procedures, 332 (21.7%) were extractions, 22 (1.6%) were endodontic treatments, 62 (4.2%) were pulpotomies, and 59 (4%) were stainless steel crowns. Regarding the mean number of incisor root canal treatments (RCT), age group 3 received a significantly higher mean number of incisor RCTs than age group 1 (p = 0.02). Age group 1 received a higher average of pulpotomies and stainless-steel crowns (p = 0.00) compared to groups 2 and 3. GA is a safe procedure for the dental treatment of CSHCN, with minimal postoperative complications, which should be included among dental public programs.
Highlights
Children with special health care needs are considered by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) as those who have “any physical, developmental, mental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional impairment or limiting condition that requires medical management, health care intervention, and/or use of specialized services or programs” [1]
There was a disproportion regarding the gender of the patients. (74 men and 37 women)
The most frequent age for performing general anesthesia (GA) in CHSCN was between six and 7.5 years of age. This could be explained by the fact that the PADI Program benefits begin at six years of age and by the increasing awareness of parents regarding the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene in their children
Summary
Children with special health care needs are considered by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) as those who have “any physical, developmental, mental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional impairment or limiting condition that requires medical management, health care intervention, and/or use of specialized services or programs” [1]. The estimated prevalence of children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Ranges from 13–18% of the population under 18 years of age in developed countries [2]. In the U.S, 13% of children and adolescents aged 17 and younger have a special need for healthcare [3]. CSHCN still show limitations in maintaining a good oral health, early childhood caries being highly prevalent [4]. Special diets, medications, and oral motor habits like atypical swallowing, lip sucking, or tongue interposition, can favor the development of dental complications for many CSHCN [3]
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