Paediatric dental general anaesthesia rates and dental caries regionally and in districts in the former north western region.

OBJECTIVE

To chart paediatric dental general anaesthesia activity following implementation of the Poswillo Report recommendations and to characterise the relationship between dmft/DMFT and rates of paediatric dental general anaesthesia.

DESIGN

An ecological study, using results of the NHS dental epidemiological surveys and routine NHS activity data.

SETTING

The general, community and hospital dental services.

SUBJECTS

Former regional and district health authorities' residents.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Correlations between the regional and district rates of dental general anaesthesia and dmft/DMFT from the NHS dental epidemiology surveys.

RESULTS

About half of all paediatric dental general anaesthetics are carried out in the General Dental Service. There were significant correlations between regional mean dmft/DMFT and under 18 combined dental general anaesthesia rates in 1991/2 and 1992/3. In the North West Region there were significant correlations between 0-4-year-old district dental general anaesthesia rates and dmft of 5-year-old children in 1989/90 (r = 0.45, P < 0.05) and 0-17-year-old district dental general anaesthesia rates and 12-year-old DMFT (r = 0.49, P < 0.05) in 1992/3.

CONCLUSIONS

The number of paediatric dental general anaesthetics provided since the Poswillo Report was implemented (1991) has increased in the last two years (1993/4 and 1994/5). District rates of dental general anaesthesia bore little relation to dental need as measured by dmft/DMFT, except in 1989/90 for 5-year-old children and in 1992/3 for 12-year-old children. This suggests dental general anaesthesia is not provided in response to dental needs at a district health authority level.