Dental treatment under general anaesthesia may be needed for some children and
adolescents due to medical or behaviour problem. The objective of the study is to
identify the type of treatment that has been carried out under GA in Hospital
Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). A retrospective record review study from
hospital records of dental patients (under 18 years old) receiving dental treatment
under GA from 2003 until 2007 were retrieved from the database. Information
such as the reason for GA, and the type of treatment provided was recorded in
data sheet. The data were analyzed using SPSS 12.0.1 for Windows. It was checked
and verified for errors. A total of 349 cases were treated of which 43.6% had medical
problems. Patients were mostly diagnosed to have rampant caries (77.1%) and
some of them have behavioural problems (34.4%). Treatment pattern in deciduous
dentition revealed more extraction (97.8%) as compared to restoration (75.7%)
whereas in permanent dentition more restoration was done (24.3%) as compared
to extraction (2.2%). Majority of the restorations were done using Glass Ionomer
Cements (47.5%). Biopsy (4.3%) contributed mainly to the surgery (24.1%) done
during GA. General anesthesia is necessary when dental disease is interfering with
health and general well-being of patient and it can facilitated dental treatment
allowing dentists to benefit from improved treatment conditions and provide a
higher quality of care.