General anesthesia in dental treatments: where and how?

Patients with physical and/or mental disabilities exhibit higher caries activity and more treatment needs compared with the general population. Thus, the number of patients awaiting dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA) is far from negligible. Factors such as disabilities, presence of comorbidities, underlying medical conditions, and potential drug interactions render these patients a high-risk group for GA. Consequently, meticulous planning is essential when scheduling dental treatment under GA. The objective of the present research was to gather the opinions of anesthesiologists and dentists regarding the prompt treatment of dental patients requiring GA in institutions that offer optimal conditions for patient safety.

Data were collected using a 28-item questionnaire developed by the researchers based on a literature review and interviews with both dentists and anesthesiologists involved in dental procedures under GA. The survey was administered online via Google Forms.

Nearly all respondents (95.0%) believed that having an in-house operating room would increase their work efficiency and such a facility would meet their expectations. When asked why having an in-house operating room would enhance efficiency, the most common reasons cited were the ability to schedule more surgery days, better communication from working with the same anesthesia team, and the elimination of time lost due to transfers between hospitals. Anesthesiologists stated that the most frequently encountered issues when admitting patients in operating rooms within the faculty of dentistry were the absence of another anesthesiologist in emergencies (46.7%) and difficulty in reaching a consultant physician when needed (20.0%). Furthermore, 79.2% of anesthesiologists expressed that they would not prefer to work in an operating room dedicated solely to dental patients.

As a result, dentists and anesthesiologists, the two most important members of the team performing dental treatments within GA, prefer to perform the procedures within their own institutions. Considering the high number of patients waiting for dental treatment under GA, the establishment of operating rooms within dentistry can make a positive contribution to the health system by eliminating the hesitations of anesthesiologists.