Characteristics of pediatric dental treatment provided under general anesthesia in Dubai, United Arab Emirates - A retrospective analysis

Abstract

Background: Dental general anesthesia (DGA) is a widely used technique in pediatric dentistry. Several researchers have examined their DGA cases and tried to pinpoint the primary cause leading to it. Furthermore, factors affecting the success rate of DGA are a widely investigated topic in the literature. However, in the UAE there is a notable paucity of properly conducted studies specifically relating to this subject.

Aim: This study was set out to analyse characteristics of dental treatment provided for children under General Anesthesia (GA) and review any differences of treatment between Special Health Care Needs (SHCN) and healthy patients.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data that was collected from the electronic records of all patients who underwent any dental treatment under GA in the period between January 1 st 2016 up until the 29th of February 2020. Data included sociodemographic status of patients, preoperative information such as diagnosis and justification of GA, intraoperative information including treatment details and duration, and post-operative information such as follow-up rates and morbidities.

Results: The study population consisted of 98 patients. Majority of the sample were males (62.2%), and the mean age was 5.4 years. 26 out of the 98 children had a medical condition and were categorized as ASA II. Results of the study showed that the most common diagnosis leading to GA is Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and the most common justification is lack of cooperation due to young age. The study also showed that nearly half the patients missed their one-week, 3-months and 6-months follow-up visits. Further dental treatment was needed for 23 (23.5%) patients which were delivered under local anesthesia in the dental chair. Out of the 23 patient who received further treatment (60.9%) were due to new carious lesions. Four (4.08%) out of the 98 children had a repeat GA episode. SHCN patients received significantly more interventive measures and significantly less pulp therapies than healthy patients. The ratio of fissure sealants was 3.65 sealants per SHCN patient compared to 0.77 sealants per healthy child.

Conclusion: A more comprehensive treatment plan which consists of fewer pulp therapies was adopted to treat SHCN children accompanied by a notable increase in preventive interventions when compared to healthy patients. Frequently missing recall appointments following DGA increased the likelihood of developing new carious lesions and consequently increased the need for further dental treatment.