Preventive and invasive treatment in special needs patients: a German retrospective study

Katrin Rothmaier; Katharina Bücher; Isabel Metz; Vinay Pitchika; Reinhard Hickel; Roswitha Heinrich-Weltzien; Jan Kühnisch

doi:10.1007/s00784-016-1900-6

Preventive and invasive treatment in special needs patients: a German retrospective study

Clin Oral Investig. 2017 May;21(4):1343-1350. doi: 10.1007/s00784-016-1900-6. Epub 2016 Jul 8.

Authors

Katrin Rothmaier¹, Katharina Bücher¹, Isabel Metz¹, Vinay Pitchika¹, Reinhard Hickel¹, Roswitha Heinrich-Weltzien², Jan Kühnisch³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Conservative Dentistry and Periodontology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Goethestrasse 70, 80336, Munich, Germany.
² Department of Preventive Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany.
³ Department of Conservative Dentistry and Periodontology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Goethestrasse 70, 80336, Munich, Germany. jkuehn@dent.med.uni-muenchen.de.

PMID: 27392612
DOI: 10.1007/s00784-016-1900-6

Abstract

Objectives: Data on dental treatment of children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) are sparse. Hence, this study provides information about the changes in the dental condition in a cohort of CSHCN treated in a university dental department in Germany.

Material and methods: Patient records of CSHCN treated from January 2004 to December 2012 were screened retrospectively for medical diagnoses (ICD-10) and the type of treatment performed with outpatient dental care (ODC) or general anesthesia (GA). Follow-up data of patients adhering to the recommended recall were recorded, including time and further treatments.

Results: A total of 795 CSHCN with a mean age of 6.8 years were included. In 41.6 % (331/795) of cases, treatment was performed under ODC, and 58.4 % (464/795) received GA. Caries experience in CSHCN treated under GA was significantly higher (7.9 d_3/4mft/0.9 D_3/4MFT) than in ODC (2.5 d_3/4mft /0.9 D_3/4MFT). Over time, patient flow shifted from invasive (IC) to preventive-based care (PC).

Conclusion: Caries-related treatments were most frequent under GA and ODC, though initial caries experience was higher in GA patients. The choice of GA or ODC was statistically independent from the medical condition.

Clinical significance: This study provides characteristics of a large population of CSHCN treated with and without GA for dental care.

Keywords: Caries; Children with special healthcare needs; Dental treatment; Oral health; Preventive dental care.

MeSH terms

Child
Dental Care for Children / organization & administration*
Dental Care for Disabled / organization & administration*
Dental Caries / epidemiology
Dental Caries / therapy
Female
Germany / epidemiology
Humans
Male
Preventive Dentistry*
Retrospective Studies