Postoperative morbidity in pediatric patients following dental treatment under general anesthesia

Purpose: The aims of this study were to investigate post-operative complications in pediatric patients 24 and 72 hours after general anesthesia (GA) and to identify any associations between dental procedures and complications. Materials and Methods: One hundred and thirty three healthy pediatric patients who had undergone dental treatment under GA (age range: two to nine years) were included in this study. The project was designed as a prospective, observational study supported by a questionnaire that collected data on children’s post-operative complaints. Preoperative data were obtained from patients’ files and included age, gender, medical condition and admission type (inpatient or outpatient) variables. The post-operative complaints were assessed either by phone contact or by face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire 24 and 72 hours after treatment. Results: 69.9% of children reported one or more complaints after 24 hours and 35.3% after 72 hours. Coughing and pain (27.1%), inability to eat (24.8%), psychological changes (24.1%) and a sore throat (21.1%) were the most common complaints during the first day. After 72 hours, the severity and rate of the complications decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Post-operative complaints following dental treatment under GA tended to be of mild severity and were mainly limited to the first day after the procedure.