Caries
Christina H. Shih, DDS (she/her/hers)
Pediatric Dental Resident
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC/Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC
Los Angeles, California, United States
Catherine Pham, DDS, MPH
Assistant Professor of Clinical Dentistry
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC
Los Angeles, California, United States
Alexander Alcaraz, DMD
Program Director, Advanced Pediatric Dentistry
University of Southern California, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry
Los Angeles, California, United States
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether parents having experienced an older child go through general anesthesia (GA) will help prevent caries in a younger child in the family.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients who received GA at the USC Pediatric Dental Clinic between January 2015 to December 2021 who had younger siblings that were also patients of the clinic. The following was collected from electronic patient records: caries experience at the time of examination where all primary teeth were erupted, age, gender, preferred language, and dental insurance coverage.
Results: Of a total of 652 patients, 117 were included. There is a 41% likelihood of a sibling needing GA after an older sibling has undergone dental rehabilitation under GA. Younger siblings had their first dental appointment at an earlier age and had less caries experience.
Conclusion: There is a downward trend in caries experience in younger siblings after an older sibling received GA, but the likelihood of the younger sibling needing GA is high.