Comprehensive dental treatment of healthy and chronically sick children under intubation general anaesthesia during a 5-year period.

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the number of extractions and/or restorations placed in chronically sick children under intubation general anaesthesia and compare these findings with healthy children.

SETTING

Two large paediatric dentistry units in Central London: a tertiary referral centre dealing with severe chronic sickness in children and an undergraduate dental school with a large commitment to special needs dentistry in children.

DESIGN

Prospective comparison of treatment received for (a) chronically sick children and (b) dentally anxious (otherwise fit) children receiving intubation general anaesthesia during July 1991 to June 1996 inclusive. The statistical tests used were the Shapiro-Wilks test for normality and the Mann Whitney U test for non-parametric comparison of independent groups.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Mean total treatment tally (TTT)--the sum of extractions and restorations for each child presented as summary data.

RESULTS

Different patterns of dental care were found between the healthy and chronically sick groups. For similar levels of disease, a significantly greater number of extractions were carried out for chronically sick children (P < 0.0001), and significantly fewer restorations (P < 0.0001). The number of pulpotomies and stainless steel crowns provided to sick children was significantly smaller than to healthy children (P < 0.0001). This paper discusses the influences of chronic ill health on dental treatment provided under general anaesthesia.

CONCLUSION

The underlying medical disorder in chronically sick children significantly influences the pattern of treatment when this is provided under general anaesthesia.