The Distribution and Treatment of Outpatients with General Anesthesia in Chonbuk National University Dental Hospital for 9 Years

Abstract

General anesthesia (GA) for dental care in handicapped patients is necessary to facilitate the provision of safe, efficient, and effective quality treatment. The aims of this study were to determine the anesthetic characteristics of handicapped patients in need of dental treatment in these day care units, and to establish for plan to provide better services. 325 patients who had outpatient general anesthesia from January 2005 to March 2014 were assessed for this study. Patients’distribution and treatment patterns were examined. The proportion of male patients (202, 62.2%) was higher than female patients (123, 37.8%) and the largest group of patients were 5 to 10 years old (85, 26.2%). The reasons for general anesthesia included mental and physical disabilities (207, 63.7%), behavior management (84, 25.8%), parent needs (14, 4.3%), and so on. Restorative treatment was the most common procedure with the average of 4.2 teeth treated per one patient and 43 (13.2%) patients underwent general anesthesia for dental treatment more than once. To expand and improve access to the dental care of the disabled, improvement of the health care system, enhancement of their training for dental care by professionals, and enlarging caregivers’understanding of the importance of oral care in the early stages are required.