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Published on: November 6, 2019
Characteristics of children undergoing dental extractions under general anaesthesia in Wolverhampton: 2007-2012
1School of Dentistry, University of Birmingham, 5 Mill Pool, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B5 7EG;
Introduction:
Studying characteristics of children requiring extractions under dental general anaesthesia (DGA) can help identify trends, which can be used to facilitate future planning of healthcare services.
Objective:
To report on the profile of children who underwent extractions under DGA between 2007 and 2012 at the New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, England.Methods Retrospective analyses of hospital records.
Results:
Of the 2692 patients seen between 2007 and 2012, 49.6% were boys and 50.4% were girls. The mean age was 7.1 and 7 to 12 years was the largest age group (43%). The majority of the sample was White British (67%). Of the 8,286 teeth extracted, 85% were primary teeth and 15% permanent. More teeth were extracted in boys than girls (P = 0.002) and 'Other' ethnicities had a higher mean number of extractions compared to White British (P <0.001) and South Asians (P = 0.046). The mean age of the patients has decreased over the years (P = 0.001) and the mean number of primary teeth extracted has increased (P = 0.001).
Conclusions:
A clear dental public health issue has been reinforced through the relatively high level of DGA activity reported. Though rigorous caries prevention remains the ultimate goal, a better assessment and discharge process may help reduce the need for first time DGAs as well as repeats.
