FREQUENCY OF REPEAT GENERAL ANAESTHESIA (GA) IN PAEDIATRIC DENTAL PATIENT: A 10 YEARS’ REVIEW

Dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA) is one of the treatment modalities that can be offered especially to young and uncooperative children who require extensive dental treatment. However, the increasing number of children undergoing a second GA for dental treatment is concerning. The present study aimed to determine the frequency and reasons for repeat general anesthesia (GA) among paediatric patients who underwent comprehensive dental care at a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The electronic dental hospital records of patients receiving comprehensive dental treatment under GA at the hospital between January 2012 and December 2022 were examined retrospectively. A data collection form was used to record the relevant information. A total of 754 patients with a mean age of 7.1(±3.8) years were seen for dental treatment under GA. Of those, 44 patients (5.8%) underwent a subsequent episode of repeat GA. The mean interval time was 4.4 years (±2.8) for the second GA, 3.7 years (±1.8) for the third GA and 5 years (±0) for the fourth GA. Caries were the main reason for both single (86.2%) and repeat (75.7%) GA. Extractions and restorative treatment were the two most common treatments provided for both single and repeat GA, with 20.4% of the teeth needing retreatment during the repeat GA. Conclusively, the frequency of repeat GA is relatively low with caries being the main reason for repeat GA.