Dental health behavior of children with BBTD treated using general anesthesia or sedation, and of their parents in a recall examination

The aim of the study was to assess the dental status and dental health behavior of children with Baby Bottle tooth Decay treated using general anesthesia or sedation, and the dental health behavior of their parents in a recall examination. The study population consisted of sixty-five children, among whom thirty-four were treated using general anesthesia and thirty-one using sedation. The recall examination included a full dental examination from which the children's dif index could be drawn. Loe's plaque index was used to assess the amount of plaque on the teeth. Sociodemographic information and the dental health behavior of the parents and children were obtained. Plaque index was similar in the general anesthesia and sedation groups. The parents of the general anesthesia group were younger than the parents of the sedation group (35.0 ± 6.7 and 38.8 ± 6.2 for the fathers, and 32.4 ± 5.9 and 34.9 ± 5.3 for the mother, respectively). More firstborn children were treated using general anesthesia than using sedation. Significantly more siblings were treated in the sedation group. Children treated using sedation had significantly more siblings treated in the same mode. Parents of the children in the general anesthesia group were significantly more involved in brushing their children's teeth than the other group. In the sedation group, more children brush their teeth without parental help. Significantly more children in the general anesthesia group reduced their sweet consumption than in the sedation group. We conclude that preventive behaviors were more frequently adopted among the families of children treated using general anesthesia.