Trends in dental treatment rendered under general anesthesia, 1978 to 1990

While it is generally accepted that the prevalence of dental caries is decreasing, many institutions report an increase in the demand for dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia. This paper compares the characteristics of patients and types of dental treatment delivered under general anesthesia at the same hospital during 1978-1980 and 1988-1990. Patient records for children, who received dental care under general anesthesia during the two time periods examined were reviewed. Demographic data as well as data pertaining to types of dental treatment performed were collected from each patient record. Demographic characteristics were analyzed with a chi square analysis, and results regarding the types of dental treatment were analyzed using a Students t-test. Results were considered significant at p less than 0.05. There were no statistically significant differences in gender or ethnicity of the patients treated during 1978-1980 compared to 1988-1990. There were statistically significantly more patients treated in the 4-6 age group during 1988-1990 than during 1978-1980. There were no statistically significant differences in the number of dental procedures completed per patient during 1978-1980 compared to 1988-1990 in any procedure category except for dental sealants. This study indicates that the majority of pediatric dental patients being treated under general anesthesia at this hospital facility, still require an extensive amount of restorative dental care. Although most children can be successfully treated in the dental office, there is a group of pediatric patients, who require dental treatment in the hospital, under general anesthesia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)