OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the trends in the use of general anaesthesia(GA) for dental treatment at a children's hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. METHODS: Descriptive retrospective study of hospital records of 200 children who attended for dental treatment under GA at the Getrude Garden Children's Hospital during a 3-year period. RESULTS: The distribution of patients within each year of study was 74 (37.0%), 61(30.5%) and 65(32.5%). The age range was 1-16 years(mean 5.29+/-2.6 years). There were 103(51.5%) male and 97(48.5%) females. Only 13.3% of patients had an underlying medical condition. Most patients(53.3%) attended for dental procedures involving restorations and extractions. This was followed by attendance for traumaticinjuries arising from falls and road traffic accident(25%). Patients who attended for minor surgical procedures and major surgical operations were fewer at 14.5% and 7.2% respectively. 76.9% of the traumatic injuries involving wire fixation were carried out by oral surgeons, while 23.1% were carried by general dental practioners(GDPs). Injuries involving suturing of the tongue and lips were attended to by oral surgeons(45.8%),p aediatric surgeons( 37.5%), ENT surgeons(12.5%) and GDPs(4.2%). Dental restorations and extractions were mostly carried out by GDPs (86.6%)and oral surgeons (13.3%). The average time taken in theatre for all procedures was 55.11 (+/-45.81)minutes. However, significantly longer times were taken during the treatment of traumatic injuries where wire fixation was involved (p=0.000). Repeated GA occurred in 24 (12%) cases mostly for repeating restorations(7.5%) and removal of fixation splints (5.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Restorative procedures and extractions constituted the highest component of use of GA at the hospital. Whilst anaesthetic administration in this study carried 100% safety margin, it is prudent that GDPs be trained to enable and encourage them to offer alternatives other than GA.