[Complications due to the waiting period for dental treatment under general anaesthesia].

The capacity for dental treatment under general anaesthesia is limited. Clearly, the demand for treatment exceeds the supply. A written questionnaire completed by all 403 patients who were treated in 2003 in a centre for special dentistry under general anaesthesia, or their parents or carers, revealed that the median time between referral and the first consultation was 8 weeks. The median time between the first consultation and treatment was also 8 weeks. The waiting period for children was longer than that for adults, with that for 4- and 5-year-olds the longest of all. During the waiting period, 43% of the patients developed complications, such as oral pain and problems with eating and sleeping. Children developed complications more often than adults. With every week of waiting, the likelihood of children developing complications increased by 6.7%.