Journal of International Dental and Medical Research ISSN 1309-100X Requirement of General Anesthesi in Pediatric Dentistry http://www.jidmr.com Ahmet Aras and M. Sinan Dogan Volume ∙ 13 ∙ Number ∙ 1 ∙ 2020 Page 290 A Retrospective Evaluation of Requirements and Causes of Dental General Anesthesia in Pediatric Dentistry Ahmet ARAS 1 *, M. Sinan DOGAN 1 1. Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Harran University, Sanliurfa, 63300. Abstract Although most of the dental treatments can be performed under local anesthesia in pediatric dentistry, there is a need for sedation and general anesthesia as a result of cooperation difficulties, anxiety or systemic disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the requirement and reasons of the dental treatment under general anesthesia. The patients who applied to Harran University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry between 23.05.2017 and 23.05.2019 were included in our study. Retrospective data of the patients such as age, gender, and reason for admission were evaluated. The patients who had to be treated with general anesthesia due to cooperation difficulties or any systemic disease were identified, and their statistical analyses were performed. The number of patients admitted to the pediatric clinic during the two years was 5796. A total of 620 patients had to be treated under general anesthesia, of which 488 were due to cooperation difficulties and 132 were due to systemic disease. The mean age of the patients who were planned to be treated with Dental General Anesthesia (DGA) was 4.56; the mean age of patients with the systemic disease is 6.45. The rate of general anesthesia requirement was 10.7%. As a result, general anesthesia is needed in one of every ten patients who admit to the pediatric clinic. We think that this situation stems from the fact that we are the only institution providing this service in our province. The number of centers that provide dental treatment with DGA, which is a great need in children with common caries and patients with special needs, should be increased. Clinical article (J Int Dent Med Res 2020; 13(1): 290-294) Keywords: Tooth decay, general anesthesia, mental retardation, cooperation. Received date: 27 July 2019 Accept date: 24 December 2019 Introduction Pediatric Dentists provide oral care service and treat the dental problems of toddlers, children, adolescents, and young people with special needs. In the majority of this patient group, non-pharmacological behavioral guidance methods such as tell-show-do can be sufficient. 1 Although many of the treatments in dentistry can be applied with local anesthesia; there is a requirement for sedation and general anesthesia (GA) due to inability to cooperate, incompatibility with the surgery, and anxiety or systemic disorders. It may also be needed to implement pharmacological behavioral guidance methods such as conscious sedation-general anesthesia in some children with widespread dental problems, who have not reached psychological and emotional maturity, or who are mentally/physically handicapped. 2,3 Comprehensive treatments such as endodontic treatment, crown implementations and resin restorations in pediatric patients require the patient to be cooperative during long-lasting procedures. 4 The primary purpose of dentists is to complete oral rehabilitation without having a negative impact on the psychology of the child with complicated and long-term treatment sessions and in the course of any complications during the procedure. In such cases, although behavioral guidance techniques are the preferred way, in some cases it may fail or may be inadequate because of its limited effects in eliminating the anxiety of overly fearful children. In addition, these techniques can take a lot of time, leading to an uncomfortable working and time loss for both the dentist and the patient. When the behavior guidance techniques are not sufficient alone, the pharmacological techniques *Corresponding author: Ahmet ARAS, Harran University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry Sanliurfa / TURKEY E-mail: ahmetaras@harran.edu.tr