Characteristics and Associated Comorbidities of Pediatric Dental Patients Treated under General Anesthesia

Objective: To describe characteristics and identify common comorbidities of children receiving dental treatment under general anesthesia at Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian. Study design: Electronic medical records of all children that received dental treatment under general anesthesia through the Division of Pediatric Dentistry from 2012-2014 were reviewed. Data describing patient characteristics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance carrier, and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification system), medical history, and justification for treatment were collected. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages and t-tests, were calculated. Results: A total of 298 electronic medical records were reviewed, of which 50 records were excluded due to missing information. Of the 248 electronic medical records included, the average age was 5-years-old and 58% were male. The most common reason for dental treatment under general anesthesia was extent and severity of dental disease (53%), followed by significant medical history (47%) and behavior/ pre-cooperative age (39%). Those who were ASA III or IV were older (6.6-years) (p<. 001). Common medical comorbidities appear evenly distributed: autism (12%), cardiac anomalies (14%), developmental delay (14%), genetic syndromes/ chromosomal disorders (13%), and neurological disorders (12%). Younger age groups (1 to 2 years and 3 to 5 years) had a high percentage of hospitalizations due to the extent and severity of the dental disease (83%) and behavior (77%) (p< 0.001). Conclusions: No single comorbidity was seen more often than others in this patient population. The range of medical conditions in this population may be a reflection of the range of pediatric specialty services at Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian.