Childhood caries and dental surgery under general anesthesia: an overview of a global disease and its impact on anesthesiology

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Abstract
Children’s oral health is influenced, negatively and positively, but modifiable social determinants. For high-risk populations, severe disease burden leads to dental treatment under general anesthesia (DGA), which represents a costly and futile use of scarce resources. These clinical events, at the intersection of medicine and dentistry, often involve anesthesiologists to facilitate care. However, clinical interventions do not address the etiology of disease, which are largely rooted in health behaviors. In this review, we will summarize the scope of severe disease on a global scale and its impact on individual and population health and health systems. We will also provide insight into factors that influence DGA utilization from perspectives of families, providers, health systems, policy, and community-level environment. A child’s need for DGA may represent missed prevention opportunities at several levels. However, the surgical period may serve as a prime window to change a family’s oral health behaviors and reduce chance of recurrent disease amongst the highest risk families.

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