Practice Management
Muna Hakim, DDS
Pediatric Dental Resident
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago IL
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Satish B. Alapati, PhD, DDS
University of Illinois at Chicago
Majd Alsaleh, DDS, MS
University of Illinois Chicago
Evelina Kratunova, MDS, MFD, D.Ch.Dent, FFD
University of Illinois at Chicago
Sahar Alrayyes, DDS, MS
Clinical Associate Professor and a Pediatric Dentist
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Brittaney J. Hill, DDS, MS, MPH
Program Director
University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Purpose: Complete oral rehabilitation under general anesthesia (GA) minimizes pediatric patient’s discomfort and allows safe completion of dental procedures. Increased GA appointment failure rates leads to inefficient utilization of resources. The purpose of this study is to investigate which factors are associated with the failure of GA appointments. Hypothesis: There is a relationship between seasonal variability and attendance of GA appointments. In addition, unanticipated illnesses, and positive test results for COVID-19 are the most common reasons for GA appointments not being completed on the day of service.
Methods: This retrospective chart review included all children (ASA I or II) who had scheduled appointments for complete oral rehabilitation under GA at the UIC COD Outpatient Care Center (OCC) between September 1, 2020 and September 30, 2022. A total of 400 samples were randomly selected from a larger sample of patients scheduled for GA distributed through the four seasons of the year. Data collected included patient demographics, distance traveled, appointment confirmation, language, season in which GA was scheduled, and reasons for failed appointments. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis (Chi-Square test) were used.
Results: Out of the 400 scheduled GA cases, 351 (88%) were completed. The most common reasons for GA cases not going through included positive COVID-19 test results (37%), other illnesses (38%), and no- shows (1%). No significant association was detected between GA completion and seasonal variability.
Conclusions: To maximize the resources utilized during GA appointments and increase efficiency, a thorough evaluation of patients’ health status including COVID-19 should be completed.