The aim of this study was to compare the routine dental treatment and caries prevention procedures such as fissure sealants and topical fluoride application in children with and without disabilities treated under general anesthesia.
Method:
A retrospective sample of 125 patients (64 healthy and 61 disabled) treated under general anesthesia during 2011-2012 in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry of Ataturk University was reviewed. The mean age of the healthy children was 5.61.7 years. For children with disabilities, the mean age was 10.73 7.2 years. The routine dental treatments included conservative dental procedures, endodontic therapies such as pulpotomy and root canal treatment, and tooth extraction. Topical fluoride application was performed in all patients. However, fissure sealants were placed on all sound premolars, molars, or primary molars. The data were compared using chi-square. Statistical significance was set at 5%.
Result:
There were statistically significant differences between routine dental treatment and caries prevention procedures for children with and without disabilities (P<0.05). In addition, the distribution of topical fluoride application was similar for both patient groups. However, the significant difference between disabled children and healthy control group was found for fissure sealant placement (P<0.05).
Conclusion:
Within the limits of the study, routine dental treatment procedures have a more extensive approach than caries prevention procedures in the treated children.