Dental treatment of children under general anesthesia during the period of matrial law

OBJECTIVE

Aim: To summarize the experience of providing dental medical care under general anesthesia to children from different regions of Ukraine during the martial law, taking into account the factors affecting the choice of optimal conditions for dental treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and Methods: Dental treatment under general anesthesia of 1,258 children from different regions of Ukraine has been performed since March 2022. The condition of the teeth (df, df+DMF, DMF) and hygienic state of the oral cavity (OHI-S) were determined. The level of awareness of parents regarding the preservation of children's dental health was studied through a questionnaire.

RESULTS

Results: An unsatisfactory oral hygiene, a high level of caries were found in the vast majority of children. The highest df was observed in the group of children aged 3 to 6 years (7.14±0.33), which is significantly higher than in the group of children under 3 years of age (4.32±1.04, p≤0.05). The worst oral hygiene was observed in children aged 6-12 years (OHI-S 2.62±0.32). An insufficient level of awareness of parents and children regarding dental health was revealed. A total of 1,712 operations under general anesthesia were performed. The majority of patients could not regularly appear for follow-up examinations due to the forced departure from the country.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: The organization of dental treatment under general anesthesia allows solving a number of problems of dental care for children during the war.

Morphology of the occlusal surface of primary molars as a risk factor for caries

Aims

Impact of primary molars is a significant problem for children with early caries, as they are the ones that predominate in the structure of damage to primary teeth. The goal of our study was to investigate the peculiarities of the primary molars occlusal surfaces with the study of their types and possibilities of caries occurrence in them.

Methods

To study the odontoglyphics of primary molars, a clinical preventive dental examination of 335 children of preschool institutions in the city of Poltava and Poltava region was conducted with the written consent of their parents. As a part of this examination, the occlusal surface of primary molars was studied according to the classic dental examination method with the examination card of each examined child being filled in. After a detailed study of odontoglyphic patterns of occlusal surfaces, photoprotocoling was carried out. A total of 2484 primary molars were examined: 622 maxillary first molars, 634 maxillary second molars, 608 mandibular first molars, and 620 mandibular second molars.

Results

We found that both maxillary and mandibular primary molars which have a complex relief of the occlusal surface are most often affected by caries.

Conclusions

The obtained data indicate that the primary molars of the upper and lower jaw, which have a complex pattern of the chewing surface, are most often affected. However, there is a need for preventive measures in children with such types of structure of the chewing surface.