A 10-year trend of dental treatments under general anesthesia of children in Taipei Veterans General Hospital

Abstract

Background General anesthesia (GA) as a pediatric dental procedure is a well-established method of behavior management. However, studies of pediatric dentistry under GA have mostly focused on handicapped patients, and various retrospective studies in Taiwan have mainly reviewed only a limited number of years. The purpose of the present study was to report trends in pediatric dental treatment performed under GA over the past 10 years. Methods A retrospective review of the hospital records of patients receiving dental treatment under GA from 2006 until 2015 was performed. The patients were divided into three age groups: < 3 years, 3–6 years, and > 6 years. A range of information including basic patient characteristics and types of dental treatment was identified and then analyzed. Results A total of 791 cases (< 3 years old: 65 cases, 3–6 years old: 492, > 6 years old: 235; 549 male, 242 female) were treated under GA. The case number was found to have increased from 94 during 2006–2007 to 238 during 2014–2015, with the increase being especially pronounced among those aged 3–6 years (2006–2007: 49, 2014–2015: 165). The most common treatments (extraction, restoration, and pulp therapy) were associated with multiple dental caries (684, 86.4%). The < 3-years-old group was characterized by the highest decayed, extracted, and filled surface and decayed, missing, and filled surface indices; the highest mean number of treated teeth; and the highest mean number of treated teeth by composite resin fillings. The 3–6-years-old group had the highest number of primary teeth extractions. The > 6-years-old group had the lowest mean number of treated teeth by stainless-steel crowns (SSCs) and fewest cases treated with pulp therapy. From 2011 onwards, the number of primary tooth extractions significantly increased, while in 2013, there was a crossover whereby the SSC count surpassed the composite resin filling count. Conclusion Over the past 10 years, there has been an increased use of GA for pediatric dental treatments, in particular, in cases with multiple dental caries. In addition, there has also been an increasing trend towards extraction of primary teeth and the use of SSCs.