title: Caries recurrence after treatment under general anaesthesia for early childhood caries: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate rates of caries relapse and explore factors affecting relapse rates after comprehensive dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cohort study of children ≤6 years of age at the time of reference GA (RGA) who were in an anaesthetic low risk category [American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification 1 or 2], and had completed 36 months follow-up period was conducted. Patients' demographics and dental records were collected. Associations between relapse rate and different factors affecting relapse rates were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 278 children with mean age of 47 ± 14 months were included. Over 8 % of children had more than one GA, 88 % attended their post-operative follow-up appointment and 45 % returned for all recall appointments over 3 years. During the 3-year follow-up, the relapse rate was 22 %. ASA-2 children and those with less than full primary dentition present at the RGA were more than twice as likely to experience caries relapse as compared to ASA-1 children (OR = 2.46, 95 % CI 1.33-4.56) and those with mixed dentition present at the RGA (OR = 2.74, 95 % CI 1.27-5.91).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ASA-2 health status and having less than a full primary dentition were major predictors of caries relapse after dental treatment under GA.
authors.affiliation: Division of Paediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Alberta, 5-513 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405-87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada, maryam.amin@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nouri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: ElSalhy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azarpazhooh
mesh_terms: D000766:Anesthesia, Dental; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003190:Comprehensive Dental Care; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000379:methods*; D003818:Dentition, Mixed; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013027:Space Maintenance, Orthodontic / Q000295:instrumentation; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000473:pathology