Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
March 2009
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
26
Issue:
1

Previous radiographic experience of children referred for dental extractions under general anaesthesia in the UK.

Objective To determine what proportion of children undergo radiographic assessment prior to referral to a dental hospital for extractions under general anaesthesia. Basic research design This prospective survey was conducted over a 6-month period. A data sheet was used to record the following information: patient’s age; referrer’s name and place of work (general dental practice or community dental service); teeth to be extracted (primary dentition and/or permanent dentition) and reported previous radiographic examination. Patients were excluded from the study if, following a clinical examination, radiographs were not actually deemed necessary for diagnosis and treatment planning purposes. Clinical setting A paediatric dentistry clinic within a dental hospital in the North of England. Participants 161 patients with a mean age of six years (SD= 2.2, range=3-14 years) who were referred to the dental hospital for extractions under general anaesthesia. Results Overall, 12.4% of children had reportedly undergone a previous radiographic assessment prior to hospital referral. A significantly greater proportion of children referred for permanent tooth extractions had been subject to radiographic examination compared to children referred for primary tooth extractions (46.2% as compared to 6.3%; P=0.001 chi-squared test). Furthermore, patients referred from the community dental service were significantly more likely to have had previous dental radiographs than children referred from general dental practice (36.9% compared to 9.3%; P=0.003 chi-squared test). Conclusions Radiographs do not appear to be routinely employed for caries diagnosis and treatment planning in young children within general dental practice in the UK.

Key words: Caries, children, general anaesthesia, radiographs

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
29
Page End
31
Authors
N.L. Young, H.D. Rodd, S.A. Craig

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial - Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health. A Report of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) 2008.
  2. 2
  3. 3

  1. Referees 2009
  2. 4
  3. 4

  1. Predictive tool for estimating the potential effect of water fluoridation on dental caries
  2. 5
  3. 11

  1. Dental caries prevalence and distribution among preschoolers in Singapore
  2. 12
  3. 17

  1. Oral health in German children, adolescents, adults and senior citizens in 2005
  2. 18
  3. 22

  1. Caries prevalence and fluoride use in low SES children in Clermont-Ferrand (France)
  2. 23
  3. 28

  1. Previous radiographic experience of children referred for dental extractions under general anaesthesia in the UK.
  2. 29
  3. 31

  1. The prevalence of dental caries and fissure sealants in 12 year old children by disadvantaged status in Dublin (Ireland).
  2. 32
  3. 37

  1. Childhood growth and dental caries
  2. 38
  3. 42

  1. Measurement of attitudes of UK dental practitioners to core job constructs.
  2. 43
  3. 51

  1. Dental general anaesthesia - will the service disappear? A pilot study
  2. 52
  3. 57

  1. Orthodontic treatment need and oral health-related quality among children
  2. 58
  3. 61

  1. Short Communication - Changing dental caries levels in the 1980’s, 1990’s and 2005 among children of a Jerusalem region.
  2. 62
  3. 64