Dental treatment of children with special healthcare needs: A retrospective study of 10 years of treatment

Background/Aim

Children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) often face oral health challenges. This retrospective cross-sectional study at a university hospital aimed to determine CSHCN's medical spectrum, dental treatment needs, and mode of treatment: general anesthesia (GA) or outpatient dental care (ODC).

Design

Data from the Department of Conservative Dentistry, Heidelberg University Hospital, 2012–2022, were reviewed, considering age, gender, International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnoses, caries experience (dmft/DMFT), restorative parameters, and treatment under GA/ODC. For patients under GA, their American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification was considered. Descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney U-test and logistic regression were utilized.

Results

Of 669 patients, congenital and chromosomal malformations (34.7%), diseases of the nervous system (19.1%), and mental and behavioral disorders (16.0%) were mainly diagnosed. Dentin caries prevalence was high at 79.1%, with treatments performed mainly under GA (51.4%). The odds of receiving treatment under GA decreased with patient age and increased with higher dmft/DMFT scores. Most under GA were classified as ASA 3 (51.7%), indicating high anesthesia risks.

Conclusion

Children with special healthcare needs often have diseases that can lead to higher challenges related to cooperation. The high prevalence of dentin caries underscores the substantial need for dental treatments, which were consequently often performed under GA, despite the associated risks. These findings stress the need for trained dental professionals.