Caries recurrence and outcomes of treatment provided under general anesthesia

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine caries recurrence and outcomes of treatment provided in a group of children with special needs who had dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA).Methods:72 children, mean age 7.25 years were treated under GA and only 39 children re-examined 10-14 months after completion of treatment. The children were evaluated according to their physical, mental and behavioural disabilities.Development of new caries lesions and the success of treatment provided were evaluated. The data were submitted to statistical analysis ( Wilcoxon non-parametric test). Results: A statistically significant increase was found in DMF(T) and DMF(S) scores between initial and recall examinations(p<0.05).Sixty-nine percent of children treated under GA required further dental treatment. The majority of the required treatment was due to new caries. The new treatment need of primary dentition was significantly decreased (p<0.05) in all groups except children with mental retardation.A total of 175 restorations were evaluated with a 69% success rate. The highest failure rate was observed in fissure sealants ( 66.6%).Conclusions:In this study, the inability in maintaining oral hygiene practices and high cariogenic diet are suggested the main factors in developing new caries lesions.The parafunctional behaviours such as bruxism and premature contacts may have an important role in success rates of clinical treatments. In order to prevent caries increament operative treatments must be combined with preventive measures and extra emphasis should be given to education of the families in the importance of dental health and of returning for follow-up care.