Mortality risks associated with pediatric dental care using general anesthesia in a hospital setting.

The purpose of the present study was to the review the literature and survey the risk of mortality associated with general anesthesia in children in a hospital setting. An 8-item, one page, survey was sent to all (928) southeast regional hospital members of the American Hospital Association (AHA). A response rate of 41% was established. They reported 22,615 dental cases using general anesthesia on children the ages 1 to 6 years and there were no deaths associated with anesthesia reported by responding hospitals. It was concluded that no deaths were reported among more than 22,000 cases over a 10-year period. This provides valuable information on the safety using general anesthesia for pediatric dental care.