A review of repeat general anesthesia for pediatric dental surgery in Alberta, Canada

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review data from the province of Alberta, Canada for First Nations children who required more than I general anesthesia (GA) procedure for dental surgery from 1996 to 2005. Methods. This study was limited to First Notions and Inuit children younger than 78 years old in Alberta who received 2 or more GA procedures to facilitate dental treatment. Data spanning 7996 to 2005 were provided from the Alberta Regional Office of First Notions & Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada. Results. The entire database contained claims for 339 children who received repeat GA procedures for rehabilitative dental care. Seventy-six percent received 2 procedures, while the remainder underwent 3 or more surgeries. Twenty-four percent of First Notions children in this cohort were subjected to >2 GA procedures. Retreatment of previously restored teeth was a common observation. The majority of children were treated by general practitioners instead of pediatric dentists. Seventy-four percent who hod 2 or more surgeries were treated by general dentists at the time of the first GA procedure. The mean age of children at the time of the first GA procedure was not associated with whether children received 2 or more GA procedures for dental care (P=.07). Conclusions. These data suggest that there may be on over-reliance on GA to treat dental caries for First Nations children in Alberta.