Background

Dental treatment under general anesthesia is an alternative to achieving necessary dental treatment where dental treatment under awake sedation in the dental clinic is not successful, or for various reasons is not a real possibility. The offer is preferably reserved for patients with coping challenges and who have a large or complex treatment need.

Annually, more than 4000 dental procedures under general anesthesia are carried out in the public dental services nationwide.

There is reason to believe that the need for dental treatment under general anesthesia is greater than the supply. For about half of patients, the waiting time is over three months. Furthermore, we lack an overview of criteria for referral to general anaesthesia and of the extent of repeated dental treatment under general anaesthetic for the same patient.

Purpose

The aim of this project is to map dental treatment under general anesthesia in the public dental service in Trøndelag. We would like more knowledge about the practice of use and the availability of this offer. We will map which patient groups are treated under general anesthesia, referral reasons and practices, type of treatment performed under general anesthesia and developments in the use of dentistry under general anesthesia in the last ten years (2010-2020).

Knowledge of the practice of dentistry under general anesthesia is important for further assessments and any adjustments to the offer.

Methods

Data extracted from dental records in Trøndelag County Municipality in the years 2010-2020.

Cooperating Institutions and External Financing

• County Dentist
• Trøndelag County Municipality