Rate of Repeated Dental Treatment under General Anesthesia for Paediatric Patients: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

General anesthesia (GA) is one of the pharmacological modalities used in the treatment of pediatric dental patients. This study aims to assess the rate and associated factors of repeated dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia in pediatric patients; The electronic health records of three- to 12-year-old children who received dental treatment under GA between 2015 and 2019 were identified and analyzed. Subjects were classified into cases with repeated dental treatment under GA within 5 years and controls who had dental GA once. Each case was matched to three controls based on gender and age. The collected data included the child's age at the first and second dental GA, gender, health status, Type, and the number of dental treatments provided. A total of 2376 patients had dental treatment under GA. Forty-five controls were matched to 15 cases in a 3:1 ratio. The prevalence of repeated dental GA over 5 years was 0.63%. The number of restorations, pulp therapies, and extractions showed no statically significant differences except for the number of crowns, which was higher in controls compared to cases (p=0.011). Treatment of patients under GA requires a more aggressive course of treatments compared to local anesthesia. Consequently, it is advisable to choose full-coverage crowns rather than composite or amalgam restorations.