Dental Treatment under General Anesthesia in Pre-School Children and Schoolchildren with Special Healthcare Needs: A Comparative Retrospective Study

The use of general anesthesia for dental treatment of children with special healthcare needs in Alberta, Canada

BACKGROUND

Children with special healthcare needs (SHCN) often require specialized interventions due to their disabilities. Dental general anesthesia (DGA) is a treatment modality, which improves their access to care but concerns about repeated DGAs persist.

AIM

This study investigated DGA utilization in children with SHCN and identified factors associated with multiple DGAs in Alberta, Canada (2010-2020).

DESIGN

This retrospective population-based study used administrative data encompassing all children (<18 years) undergoing DGA in publicly funded facilities. Children were identified as SHCN based on their diagnosis codes and categorized into behavioral/psychiatric disorders, mental/intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, systemic conditions, syndromes/congenital anomalies, physical-mental disabilities, and disabilities with medical conditions.

RESULTS

This study analyzed 3884 DGA visits for children with SHCN, predominantly males aged 6-11 and from low-income families. Mental/intellectual disabilities were prevalent (31.8%), and autism was the leading disease. Caries was the primary dental diagnosis across all groups, whereas pulp problems were higher in psychiatric/behavioral disorders (23.6%), and periodontal problems were more common in physical-mental disabilities (13.2%). 28.7% had multiple DGAs, with younger age, disabilities with medical conditions, mental/intellectual disabilities, and initial pulp treatments, increasing the likelihood of multiple DGAs.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the importance of individualized prevention and less conservative treatments for younger children to reduce oral health disparities.

Dental treatment of children with special healthcare needs: A retrospective study of 10 years of treatment

BACKGROUND/AIM

Children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) often face oral health challenges. This retrospective cross-sectional study at a university hospital aimed to determine CSHCN's medical spectrum, dental treatment needs, and mode of treatment: general anesthesia (GA) or outpatient dental care (ODC).

DESIGN

Data from the Department of Conservative Dentistry, Heidelberg University Hospital, 2012-2022, were reviewed, considering age, gender, International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnoses, caries experience (dmft/DMFT), restorative parameters, and treatment under GA/ODC. For patients under GA, their American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification was considered. Descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U-test and logistic regression were utilized.

RESULTS

Of 669 patients, congenital and chromosomal malformations (34.7%), diseases of the nervous system (19.1%), and mental and behavioral disorders (16.0%) were mainly diagnosed. Dentin caries prevalence was high at 79.1%, with treatments performed mainly under GA (51.4%). The odds of receiving treatment under GA decreased with patient age and increased with higher dmft/DMFT scores. Most under GA were classified as ASA 3 (51.7%), indicating high anesthesia risks.

CONCLUSION

Children with special healthcare needs often have diseases that can lead to higher challenges related to cooperation. The high prevalence of dentin caries underscores the substantial need for dental treatments, which were consequently often performed under GA, despite the associated risks. These findings stress the need for trained dental professionals.

Caries-related hospital morbidity in the Brazilian Unified Health System from 2008 to 2022

Dental caries is an important Public Health issue. However, the treatment of this disease in tertiary dental care requires further investigation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate caries-related hospital morbidity in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) from 2008 to 2022. An ecological study was conducted with secondary data on caries-related Hospital Admission Authorizations (AIH) and in-hospital dental procedures (IDP). Data were collected nationwide and statistical analysis was performed with a significance level (p) of 5%. In the last 15 years, 3,474 caries-related AIH and 63,657 IDP were approved within SUS. There was a significant upward trend in the number of caries-related AIH (p = 0.018) and a stationary trend in the number of caries-related IDP (p = 0.841). Moreover, from 2008 to 2022, R$ 1,160,843.09 was allocated for caries-related AIH. Hospital mortality was 0.29% (10 deaths), and 75.1% were elective inpatient admissions. Among SUS users, adults constituted the majority (49%), with a higher frequency of males (59.8%) and whites (46.2%). The most frequent type of caries-related IDP was restoration of permanent teeth (55.3%). Nonetheless, during the COVID-19 pandemic years, significant reductions in caries-related AIH and IDP within the SUS were observed (all p <0.05). Thus, within the SUS, caries-related tertiary dental care has shown a specific pattern over the last 15 years, including an increase in hospitalizations and a high number of in-hospital dental procedures, especially before the COVID-19 pandemic onset.

The impact of general medical health status, demographical, and patient-specific variables on need for dental treatment of children and adolescents under general anesthesia

OBJECTIVES

Aim of this retrospective study was to examine the influence of general medical, demographical, and other patient-specific factors on the need for dental treatment under general anesthesia in children and adolescents at Saarland University Hospital. For assessment of the clinical treatment need, a mixed dt/DT (decayed teeth) was introduced.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 340 patients under 18 years of age who received restorative-surgical dental treatment between 2011 and 2022 were anonymously enrolled. Demographic and other patient-specific data, general medical health, oral health, and treatment related data were recorded. In addition to descriptive analysis, Spearman-Rho-test, Mann-Whitney-U-test, Kruskall-Wallis-test and Chi-square-test were used.

RESULTS

More than half of the patients (52,6%) were in general health, but non-cooperative. The majority of the patients (66.8%) was between 1 and 5 years of age (p < 0,001). Mean dmft was 10.95 ± 4.118, mean DMFT was 10.09 ± 7.885, and mean dt/DT was 10.79 ± 4.273. Analysis showed that communication difficulties significantly influenced dmft (p = 0.004), DMFT (p = 0.019), and dt/DT (p < 0.001). Type of insurance significantly affected dmft (p = 0.004) and dt/DT (p = 0.001). There was no significant effect of ASA on caries experience, however on prevalence of severe gingivitis (p < 0.001), number of extractions (p = 0.002), and need for repeated treatment (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Need for dental treatment in the present collective was high, independent of the considered variables. Non-Cooperativeness along with ECC was the main indication for dental general anesthesia. The mixed dt/DT was the most precise survey to evaluate clinical treatment needs.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Given the enormous demand for these rehabilitations with strict selection, it is imperative to create more treatment capacities for patients mandatorily requiring general anesthesia by avoiding it in healthy patients.