Medical diagnoses of pediatric dental patients treated under general anesthesia: a 19 year review.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the records of pediatric dental patients treated under general anesthesia to determine if there had been any significant change in preoperative diagnoses between 1990-99 and 2000-08.

Study Design: The records of 3298 pediatric dental patients treated in the operating room under general anesthesia at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Children's Hospital were examined and medical diagnoses recorded. The number of cases treated by calendar year was obtained.

Results: The results of this study did not find any significant differences in percentage frequency of medical diagnoses between the years of 1990-99 and 2000-08. There has been a steady increase in the number of cases treated under general anesthesia over the period of the study.

Conclusions: 1. Dental care under general anesthesia remains an important treatment option. 2. The medical diagnoses of children provided dental treatment under general anesthesia has not changed significantly over the past nineteen years at the UNC Children's Hospital. 3. The demand to provide dental care for children under general anesthesia has continued to increase.