Next Article in Journal
Inhibition of Dendritic L-Type Calcium Current by Memantine in Frog Tectum
Previous Article in Journal
Associations Between the Fracture Type and Functional Outcomes After Distal Radial Fractures Treated With a Volar Locking Plate
 
 
Medicina is published by MDPI from Volume 54 Issue 1 (2018). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by MDPI on mdpi.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Lithuanian Medical Association, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, and Vilnius University.
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Treatment Under Dental General Anesthesia Among Children Younger than 6 Years in Lithuania

1
Department of Preventive and Paediatric Dentistry, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania
2
Department of Community Dentistry, Institute of Dentistry, University of Oulu, Finland
3
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Finland
4
Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Submission received: 11 August 2013 / Accepted: 30 September 2013 / Published: 5 October 2013

Abstract

Background and Objective. Dental general anesthesia (DGA) is an efficient treatment modality for young pediatric dental patients. The aim of this study was to identify the reasons for DGA, characteristics of patients receiving treatment under DGA, and treatment performed under DGA for children under school age in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Material and Methods
. The study population comprised all patients younger than 6 years treated under GA for dental reasons (n=144) at the University Hospital during a 3-year period from 2010 to 2012. The data were collected by means of clinical dental examinations, a survey of the parents, and the patients’ dental records and included personal background, reasons for DGA, dental status, and treatment provided.
Results.
More than half (54%) of the children were younger than 4 years; 40% of them resided in cities. The dental caries experience was high: the mean dmft and d were 12.9 (SD, 3.5) and 12.1 (SD 3.9), respectively. The majority (81%) of the children had multiple reasons for DGA, with the need for excessive treatment (93%), followed by dental fear and uncooperativeness (66%), being the most common. The extent of treatment increased with age and was greater among patients from rural areas. Of the 1975 primary teeth treated under GA, 50% were restored, 32% extracted, and 18% targeted with preventive procedures.
Conclusions. Young children with very high levels of untreated tooth decay are treated under DGA at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Hospital. The need for complex treatment as well as dental fear and uncooperativeness are the major reasons for DGA. Multiple caries treatments and extractions are performed for these patients. This study highlights a great need to develop the healthcare system with regard to the appropriate management of caries among young children and postoperative DGA care.
Keywords: general anesthesia; dental treatment; children; dental caries general anesthesia; dental treatment; children; dental caries

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Jankauskienė, B.; Virtanen, J.I.; Kubilius, R.; Narbutaitė, J. Treatment Under Dental General Anesthesia Among Children Younger than 6 Years in Lithuania. Medicina 2013, 49, 63. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/medicina49090063

AMA Style

Jankauskienė B, Virtanen JI, Kubilius R, Narbutaitė J. Treatment Under Dental General Anesthesia Among Children Younger than 6 Years in Lithuania. Medicina. 2013; 49(9):63. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/medicina49090063

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jankauskienė, Birutė, Jorma I. Virtanen, Ričardas Kubilius, and Julija Narbutaitė. 2013. "Treatment Under Dental General Anesthesia Among Children Younger than 6 Years in Lithuania" Medicina 49, no. 9: 63. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/medicina49090063

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop