title: Complications associated with anesthesia administration for dental treatment in a special needs clinic.
abstract: The goal of this study was to identify and quantify complications occurring with the administration of anesthesia for the dental treatment of patients with special needs. Anesthesia providers completed a standardized evaluation form, delineating possible complications for 202 consecutive ambulatory patients receiving anesthesia in a special needs clinic. Statistical analysis of four types of administered anesthesia showed that the overall complication rate was 23.8%. Evaluation of the data showed complications that were considered either mild (95.8%), or moderate (4.2%), while no reports of severe complications occurred. Airway obstruction and nausea/vomiting were the most frequently encountered complications. Variables found to affect the incidence of anesthetic complications included ASA classification, anesthetic technique, Mallampati airway classification, and type of dental procedure performed. An evaluation of the results of the study showed that the majority of complications that occurred with anesthesia during care of patients with special needs were mild and did not lead to severe adverse events. Our findings show that anesthesia administered during dental treatment for patients with special needs is safe and effective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Dental Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. sebst54@dental.pitt.edu
authors.forename: Sean G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Boynes
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Jayme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zovko
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Close
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D000770:Anesthesia, Endotracheal / Q000009:adverse effects; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000009:adverse effects; D054810:Deep Sedation / Q000009:adverse effects; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill; D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities / Q000145:classification; D003777:Dental Prophylaxis; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D007022:Hypotension / Q000209:etiology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000209:etiology; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D009065:Mouth Rehabilitation; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012449:Safety; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult