Abstract:
Dental general anesthesia (GA) is a day-stay procedure and is a suitable choice for compli-
cated cases. It is undertaken in a controlled hospital setting that ensures the quality, safety, efficacy,
and efficiency of dental treatment. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence, severity,
duration, and factors related to the occurrence of postoperative discomfort in young children follow-
ing GA in a general hospital. This study includes a minimum sample size of 23 children that were
undergoing GA over a 1-month period. Informed consent was obtained from the parent prior to the
treatment. A preoperative questionnaire via the Survey Monkey program was used for the purposes
of recording the responses of the survey population. All data related to the immediate postoperative
period while the child was in the post-anesthetic recovery room (PAR) was collected and assessed by
one of the investigators using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) pain assess-
ment scale. Postoperative data was gathered using the Dental Discomfort Questionnaire (DDQ-8)
and was performed by phone 3 days after the GA procedure. The participating 23 children ranged
from 4 to 9 years old (mean 5.43 ± 1.53). A total of 65.2% were girls and 34.8% were boys, with 30.4%
experiencing a recent history of pain.
