title: Dental treatment under general anesthesia for special-needs patients: analysis of the literature.
abstract: The aim of the present review was to identify the studies published on dental treatment under general anesthesia for special-needs patients. A comprehensive search of the reported literature from January 1966 to May 2012 was conducted using PubMed, Medline, and Embase. Keywords used in the search were "dental treatment under general anesthesia", "special-needs patients", "medically-compromised patients", and "children", in various combinations. Studies published only on dental treatment under general anesthesia and in English were included. Only 10 studies were available for final analysis. Age range from 1 to 50 years, and restorative procedures, were most prevalent. Only two studies discussed repeated general anesthesia, with rates of 7.2% and 10.2%. Over time, the provision of general anesthesia for special-needs patients has changed from dental clinics to general hospitals. The demand for dental treatment for special-needs patients under general anesthesia continues to increase. Currently, there are no certain accepted protocols for the provision of dental treatment under general anesthesia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Abhiram Institute of Medical Sciences, Atmakur, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India. drmallineni@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sreekanth K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mallineni
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Cynthia K Y
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Yiu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003729:Dental Care; D019140:Dental Care for Children; D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: children; dental treatment; general anesthesia; medically-compromised patient; special-needs patient