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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1550317
This article is part of the Research Topic Uncovering a Multidisciplinary Approach in Pediatric Dentistry View all 8 articles
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The dental treatment of pediatric patients under general anesthesia is considered one of the most important behavioral management techniques that parents have accepted. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical profiles and treatment outcomes of healthy patients and special healthcare needs (SHCN) pediatric dental patients who underwent a full dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia (DRGA).Methods: This study utilizes a retrospective cross-sectional design. Records were reviewed for all pediatric patients referred to the dental clinic from December 2020 to June 2023 and placed on the waiting list for DRGA. The data collected included demographics, medical history, types of dental treatment performed, medications prescribed, and admission/discharge details. Statistical analyses included chi-square, Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis tests, as appropriate, and logistic regression.Results: This study involved 378 pediatric dental patients treated under general anesthesia (GA), 46.3% were classified as healthy, while 53.7% had SHCN. The SHCN group was significantly older (mean age 6.6 ± 2.7 years vs. 5.1 ± 1.6 years, p<0.0001) and required more extensive treatments, including extractions (p<0.0001), longer hospital stays (mean: 5.9 vs. 0.9 days, p<0.0001), and more frequent preoperative consultations (p<0.0001). The group with children younger than 6 years had a higher proportion of healthy patients (73.9%), received more conservative treatment such as stainless-steel crowns and pulpotomies (p<0.0001), and had shorter hospital stays by 1.3 days compared to the 6-14-year-old group. SHCN status was a strong predictor of admission after DRGA compared to healthy ones (OR 59). This study highlights the distinct differences in the clinical profiles and treatment outcomes of healthy patients and special healthcare needs pediatric patients undergoing DRGA, with the latter patients requiring more complex care and experiencing extended hospitalization. These findings underscore the importance of tailoring dental treatment plans to the unique needs of pediatric patients to optimize outcomes.
Keywords: Pediatric Dental Rehabilitation Under General Anesthesia General Anesthesia, Pediatric Dentistry, Dental rehabilitation, Disabled child, Hospital dentistry, Dental Care for Children
Received: 23 Dec 2024; Accepted: 28 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Al-Khotani, AJABNOOR, Koshak, Alshehri and Meisha. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Dalia E Meisha, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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