Outcomes two, three and four years after comprehensive care under general anaesthesia.
OBJECTIVE
The objective was to review the outcomes for three groups of children after two, three and four years following comprehensive dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA) for 292 children aged 1.8 to 5.9 years of age.


METHODS
The study was a retrospective review of ongoing dental treatment needs following treatment under GA.


METHODS
Information including the individual tooth treatments carried out, ongoing care, fluoride status, socioeconomic status and ethnicity was obtained from dental records from the School of Dentistry and the Otago District Health Board School Dental Service. The accuracy of the records was evaluated by clinically examining 10 percent of the children.


RESULTS
Ninety-five percent of the treated children were followed up. Fifty-five percent had new caries recorded. For the treatments provided, amalgam had a mean success of 57.1 percent, composite 73.4 percent, compomer 85.2 percent, stainless steel crowns 92.8 percent and pulpotomies 84.6 percent. The majority of replaced restorations were because of new carious lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicated that most of the restorative procedures and materials used have very successful outcomes in these high-risk children. Ongoing risk of dental caries is high despite current preventive approaches. Other preventive approaches should be investigated.
Drummond
Bernadette K
BK
School of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin. bernadette.drummond@dent.otago.ac.nz
Davidson
Lesley E
LE
Williams
Sheila M
SM
Moffat
Susan M
SM
Ayers
Kathryn M S
KM
D000768:Anesthesia, General; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003190:Comprehensive Dental Care / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000628:therapy*; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome