Repeat general anaesthesia for paediatric dentistry

Abstract

AIMS: To investigate patterns of referral, disease and treatment for healthy children who had received two or more dental general anaesthetics (DGA) for exodontia. METHODS: Records from 200 episodes of repeat DGA were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: The mean age of patients at first referral was 5y4m, and the mean interval before repeat was 22 months. Self-referrals rose from 14% at DGA1 to 30% at DGA2. New caries at second referral, where all diagnosed disease had been treated at DGA1, accounted for only 15% of the total. Where a specific request was made in the referral, only 8% of letters matched the charting made in hospital. 30% of all specific requests were honoured, but then required treatment for previously diagnosed caries at DGA2.75% of single-tooth extractions required repeat DGA for caries left at DGA1. CONCLUSIONS: It may be too optimistic to address only the most grossly diseased teeth when a child requires GA exodontia. A more radical treatment-planning approach, combining primary care, secondary care and public health considerations, may be required to avoid the unnecessary use of DGA.