GA safe for dental treatment of children with special health care needs: Study

A group of researchers from Spain conducted a study to analyze the medical characteristics of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) recommended for dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA), postoperative complications, and dental treatment outcomes under the regulation of the Spanish Dental Care Program (PADI).

The researchers selected 111 clinical records and 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.

The results of the study are as follows:

· 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 root canal treatments (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.

Thus, the researchers concluded that general anaesthesia (GA) is a safe procedure for the dental treatment of children with special health care needs (CSHCN), with minimal postoperative complications, which should be included in dental public programs.

Reference:

A study titled, "Dental Treatments under General Anesthesia on Children with Special Health Care Needs Enrolled in the Spanish Dental Care Program" by Pecci-Lloret M et. al published in the journal of clinical medicine.

https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10020182