Assessing the need for general anesthesia versus inhalational sedation using modified mohan scale in pediatric dental...

Effective behavior management is vital in pediatric dentistry to ensure positive treatment in uncooperative children. General anesthesia (GA) and Inhalational sedation (IS) are some commonly used techniques, but an objective assessment tool is required to determine the most appropriate approach.

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the Modified Mohan Scale in guiding the selection between GA and IS for pediatric dental patients.

Thirty children aged 3-6 years were evaluated using the Modified Mohan Scale, which considers American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, treatment complexity, number of teeth affected, behavior during radiographic imaging, parental expectations, socioeconomic status, and Frankl's Behavior Rating Scale. Mann-Whitney U test was conducted after assessing normality with the Shapiro-Wilk test to compare the GA and IS groups.

Significant differences were found in the total Modified Mohan Scale scores between the GA and IS groups (p = 0.0001). Additionally, subscales related to the number of teeth requiring treatment (p = 0.011) and behavior during radiographic imaging (p = 0.029) showed prominent variations, with higher scores indicating a greater need for GA.

The Modified Mohan Scale shows promising potential as a structured and consistent method for evaluating the need for GA versus IS in pediatric dental patients. The scale's application may support clinical decision-making and treatment planning. Future research with a larger sample size is recommended to validate its application for broader use.