Morbidity following dental treatment of children under intubation general anaesthesia in a day-stay unit.
OBJECTIVE
To determine which variables were best related to the overall morbidity of a child undergoing dental general anaesthetic (GA) and then to use these variables to determine those factors that might influence the extent and severity of morbidity experienced by healthy children following dental GA.


METHODS
Data were collected on anxiety, pain and morbidity, GA procedure and dental procedure from 121 children attending a day stay GA unit for dental treatment. Patients were interviewed preoperatively, postoperatively before discharge then four further times over the next 148 h. Data were analysed using multivariate regression.


RESULTS
Thirty-one per cent of subjects had restorative work, 60% had at least one tooth extracted, 54% had a surgical procedure. Use of local analgesia reduced postoperative pain whilst an increase in the number of surgical procedures increased it. Increase in anaesthetic time was related to increased odds of feeling sleepy and nauseous, females were more likely to complain of sleepiness or weakness. Feelings of dizziness were increased if the patient was given local analgesia during the procedure.


CONCLUSIONS
Pain following dental GA was the most prevalent and long lasting symptom of postoperative morbidity in this study. Reductions in operating time and improvement in pain control have the potential to reduce reported morbidity following dental GA.
Atan
S
S
Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, UCL, London.
Ashley
P
P
Gilthorpe
M S
MS
Scheer
B
B
Mason
C
C
Roberts
G
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000700:Analgesics / Q000009:adverse effects; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000770:Anesthesia, Endotracheal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000145:classification; D019140:Dental Care for Children; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000145:classification; D004244:Dizziness / Q000145:classification; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009325:Nausea / Q000145:classification; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000145:classification; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000187:drug effects; D014081:Tooth Extraction
D000700:Analgesics