Is dental general anaesthesia in children an outdated concept? A retrospective analysis

Abstract

AIM: The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the prevalence of caries and treatment needs in the collective of patients ?16 years of age, who underwent scheduled dental general anaesthesia (DGA) at the University Clinic of Innsbruck from January 2015 to June 2019, with respect to demographic factors. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of children's diagnoses, demographics, and dental treatment under general anaesthesia in Innsbruck, Austria, from 2015 to 2019 was performed. Anonymised demographic data (age; gender; the presence or absence of general disease or disablement; parents' first language (German- (GS) or non-German-speaking (non-GS), reflecting ethnicity; and the number of teeth restored and extracted under DGA were collected from patients' files. Data was analysed by means of descriptive and comparative statistics. CONCLUSION: Within the study collective of children in poor oral health, the offspring of non-GS families were overrepresented (compared to their prevalence in the total population) and displayed a higher prevalence of deep caries than those of GS parents. By intensifying and special gearing of prophylactic measures to the non-GS population and promoting the parents' insight into the importance of oral hygiene and regular dental attendance, the demand for scheduled DGA might be greatly reduced. In the small share of children who suffer from severe diseases or disablement and are thus unable to cooperate with home care or dental treatment, DGA will remain the treatment of choice.