Journal of Disability and Oral Health

cover art

Cover Date:
April 2003
Print ISSN:
1470-8558
Electronic ISSN:
1754-2758
Vol:
4
Issue:
1

A comparison of factors in preanaesthetic dental assessment and post-operative outcomes following dental care under general anaesthesia in a group of disabled and anxious patients

Aim: To review the pre-anaesthetic dental assessment and post-operative outcomes in a group of 100 disabled and/or anxious patients who had comprehensive dental care in an outpatient general anaesthetic (GA) unit during the year 1999–2001. Design: A questionnaire-based study. All parents or carers were asked to identify the post-operative problems experienced by the patient and to comment on the hospital services provided. Clinical data for the patients (3–31 years) were examined for pre-existing disability or medical condition, type and duration of the GA and the nature of the recovery period. Where possible, senior staff examined the patients prior to the GA, recording estimated treatment time and treatment plan. Main outcome measures: Comparisons between the predicted and actual length of treatment time. Results: Average anaesthesia time was 60–90 minutes, with a similar time for recovery, although the anxious group required a significantly longer duration of general anaesthesia than the disabled group. Most post-operative symptoms were mild and of only a few days, with no significant differences between groups. Low rates of reported pain were observed in both the groups. Treatment time was significantly less than the predicted time for both the groups. Similarly, a larger number of restorative procedures, extractions and pit and fissure sealants were carried out than was actually predicted for both groups. Conclusions: Post-operative morbidity was negligible. All respondents were very satisfied with the services offered, except one complaint about long waiting lists. Key words: Disabled, anxiety, pre-anaesthetic assessment, day-stay anaesthesia, post-operative outcomes

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£15.00
Page Start
3
Page End
8
Authors
J H Nunn, G R Enever, N Prabhu

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial
  2. 2
  3. 2

  1. A comparison of factors in preanaesthetic dental assessment and post-operative outcomes following dental care under general anaesthesia in a group of disabled and anxious patients
  2. 3
  3. 8

  1. The dental prosthetic status of psychiatric in-patients in South Wales
  2. 9
  3. 14

  1. Atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) with CarisolvTM in intellectually disabled patients
  2. 15
  3. 18

  1. Evaluation of the outcome of different management approaches to reduce drooling in children with cerebral palsy
  2. 19
  3. 25

  1. Acquisition of tooth brushing skills by intellectually impaired children with the aid of plaque disclosing agents: a case report
  2. 26
  3. 28

  1. BSDH News
  2. 29
  3. 46

  1. Abstracts
  2. 47
  3. 48

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