title: Paedodontic general anaesthesia and compliance with follow-up visits at a tertiary oral and dental hospital, South Africa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aimed to describe the demographic profile of children receiving dental general anaesthesia (DGA) at the Pretoria Oral-and-Dental Hospital, South Africa, the type of treatment received and the level of compliance with the six-month preventive follow-up visit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of records of children treated under DGA between January 2009 and December 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study group contained 78-children. Of these, 79.5% were between one and four years of age (mean 3.7-years; SD: 2.01), and 54% were female. The parents of more than half the sample (56.4%) were unemployed. The majority (55.2%) recorded no medical condition prior to undergoing DGA. Of the treatments performed, 63% were extractions (mean = 4.7 teeth/child), 51% involved placement of composite restorations (mean = 3.4 teeth) and 18% were fitting of stainless steel crowns (mean = 2.1 teeth). No preventive treatment was performed under DGA. Only 14 children (18%) returned within 15-months for follow-ups. Seven returnees were re-booked for a second DGA appointment for severely carious teeth; the rest received preventive treatment. Female children (Odds Ratio (OR): 0.28; p = 0.04) and children with no medical-condition (OR: 0.20; p = 0.03) were less likely to return for a follow-up visit. Children with employed parents were more likely (OR: 3.50; p = 0.09) to return for follow-ups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights the importance of preventive treatment prior to and during DGA, especially in a setting where the caries disease burden and unemployment are high.
authors: Dept. of Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria. yolanda.kolisa@up.ac.za
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Kolisa
authors: O A
authors: OA
authors: Ayo-Yusuf
authors: D C
authors: DC
authors: Makobe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003188:Composite Resins / Q000737:chemistry; D003442:Crowns / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005899:Glass Ionomer Cements / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D010290:Parents; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013019:South Africa; D013193:Stainless Steel / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D003188:Composite Resins; D003764:Dental Materials; D005899:Glass Ionomer Cements; D013193:Stainless Steel