The effect of general anesthesia for ambulatory dental treatment on children in Chongqing, Southwest China

Background: The incidence of early childhood caries shows a significant increasing trend. Often, children younger than 6 years need additional help to finish the dental treatment. Therefore, general anesthesia (GA) could help to provide a successful environment for pediatric dental treatment. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of dental treatment under general anesthesia (DGA) on the patients' oral health in Chongqing, Southwest China using the P-CPQ and the FIS questionnaires. Methods: We collected the hospital's records of the children who received DGA from 2013 to 2014 and the questionnaires answered by their parents or caregivers before and after the treatment. Then the data were integrated and analyzed to assess the effect of DGA on the children and their family, the incidence of the complications during or after DGA, and the satisfaction of their parents. Results: We collected 659 patients' records including 55.4% boys and 44.6% girls. There were 443 children younger than 4 years, and 216 children older than 4 years. The main reason why they chose DGA was the patients' fear for the treatment (95.1%). The mean cost of DGA almost reached a half (61.5%) or a third (15.3%) of the family's monthly earning. The mean P-CPQ score and FIS score significantly decreased after DGA. The highest incidence of complications was emergence agitation, headache, and nausea/ vomiting. The incidence of emergence agitation and headache was related to the operation time. The majority of families reported a high degree of satisfaction. Conclusions: Children's oral health-related quality of life after DGA improved significantly. Meanwhile DGA showed a positive effect on the whole family and majority of families reported a high degree of satisfaction to it.