Oral health of patients with special needs requiring treatment under general anaesthesia

Background: General anaesthesia (GA) remains a vital modality to facilitate dental treatment for patients with special needs but there is limited literature to describe the types of patients requiring this form of care and the treatment they receive.Method: A cross-sectional clinical audit was conducted of patients treated under GA at the Day Surgery Unit of the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne during August 2015.Results: The majority of patients had an intellectual disability and were referred due to their inability to tolerate conventional dental treatment. These patients demonstrated high levels of treatment need requiring an average of two fillings and six extractions.Conclusions: Although these results demonstrate the value of GA in treating patients with intellectual disabilities, the level of treatment need identified raises concerns about current approaches to oral health for this cohort. Greater efforts are required towards preventive oral care for patients with special needs.