Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
 | 
Online Publication Date: Dec 19, 2022

Comparison of Pediatric Dentistry Under General Anesthesia in a Surgery Center vs a Hospital

DDS, MSD,
DDS, MSD,
DDS, MPH,
DMD, MSD, and
PhD
Page Range: 3 – 8
DOI: 10.2344/anpr-69-02-07
Save
Download PDF

Objective:

Pediatric patients who undergo general anesthesia (GA) for dentistry may be treated in different venues. This retrospective study compared patients treated in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) to those treated in a hospital operating room (H-OR). The 2-venue model was also compared with a historical hospital-only model.

Methods:

Twelve months of data were collected via records review: patient demographics, American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) classification, and medical comorbidities. Data from patients treated at the H-OR 10 years prior were referenced for comparison.

Results:

Between July 2017 and June 2018, 1148 patients were treated: 635 at the ASC and 513 at the H-OR. The most common age range for both venues was 3 to 8 years. Of all the ASC patients, 78% were ASA I, while 48% of H-OR patients were ASA III (P < .001). The number of patients treated with the 2-venue model represented a 240% annual increase compared with those treated historically using the hospital-only model.

Conclusion:

Because of differences in patient medical comorbidities, both the ASC and H-OR are needed to adequately address the needs of pediatric dental patients who require GA. Treating healthy patients in an ASC also creates increased capacity in the H-OR to better accommodate those with higher medical acuity.

  • Download PDF
Copyright: © 2022 by the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology

Contributor Notes

Address correspondence to Dr Peter Douglas, 5822 56th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105; pdouglasdds@gmail.com
Received: Nov 14, 2020
Accepted: Mar 02, 2022