Collaboration between Children Dentist (Stomatologist) and Anesthesiologist in the Care of Children in General Anesthesia

Overview

The caries rate in children of preschool age has been increasing in the Czech Republic over the last years. The defects of milk teeth are often to so extensive that multiple extractions are necessary. Most of these patients are unable to cooperate for their low age and extent of the intervention. The reconstruction of teeth in general anesthesia is then the method of choice. The aim of the contribution is to present our existing experience with collaboration of the stomatologist and anesthesiologist in taking care of the children in general anesthesia. In the period from January 1st, 2004 till January 31st, 2006 the authors took care of 118 patients, 73 boys and 45 girls at the age of 8 months to 16 years. The most frequent way of treatment proved to be tooth extraction (107), most often extract teeth were milk teeth (799), the treatment of tooth filling (8) and minor surgical interventions in oral cavity (9). More than a half of the extracted milk teeth were the first and second molars (62.2%), followed by first incisors (29.1%) and, at last, the other teeth, whose percent representation was below 10%. The authors did not encounter any complications in the course of treatment of the children in general anesthesia and immediately afterwards, which would require unplanned hospitalization of the outpatient and which would unfavorably affect the health state of the children. In children treated in general anesthesia there was no subjective experience of the children, which would result in refusal of subsequent dental care. The limiting factor of more frequent use of this kind of treatment of dentition is the cost and availability of anesthesiology care.

Key words:
dental treatment, children, general anesthesia