Anestesia General en Odontopediatría: Implicancias en menores de 3 años. Revisión Narrativa.

Abstract

Introduction: The need for dental care under general anesthesia is increasing in underage children due to the difficulty in performing a conventional treatment. Anesthesia is of great help for the professional and the pediatric patient's environment. However, in 2016 the FDA issued an alert about the use of general anesthesia in patients under 3 years of age because of the neurocognitive consequences it could bring.Review: Even though some preclinical studies in young animals have shown that commonly used anesthetics are neurotoxic when administered at the peak of synaptogenesis, this has not been demonstrated with certainty in humans. The above would suggest a risk associated with the age of the patient.Conclusions and Recommendations: General anesthesia is often a necessary tool, so avoiding it is not an option. Although there is no evidence regarding the considerations of general anesthesia in pediatric dentistry, it is inferred from the general protocols that the risk is proportional to the time and number of exposures. Thus, a single intervention of less than 3 hours would not be more significant. The recommendation is to inform the caregivers about the risks and benefits to decide as a professional-parent dyad. Then, the professional in charge can determine if the care of a child in the operating room cannot be postponed or if it can be postponed until a safer age is reached.