Retrospective evaluation of the clinical and radiographic success of endodontic treatments performed on primary teeth under general anesthesia

Widespread caries in early childhood often progress to the pulp, increasing the need for treatment. In situations where cooperation is limited or when multiple teeth require treatment, dental treatment under general anesthesia is a safe and effective option. In deep carious lesions of primary teeth, preferring endodontic treatment instead of extraction is important for maintaining function and eruption guidance. Therefore, evaluating the long-term success of endodontic treatments performed under general anesthesia is important in pediatric dentistry. This retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the clinical and radiographic findings of endodontic treatments (pulpotomy and pulpectomy) applied to primary teeth treated under general anesthesia. In this study, 198 primary teeth belonging to healthy patients, including 152 pulpotomies and 46 root canal treatments, which were treated under general anesthesia between 2022 and 2024 at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Selçuk University Faculty of Dentistry, were examined. Treatment success was analyzed based on endodontic methods; within this framework, variables including age, sex, tooth location (half-arch), follow-up time, and tooth position (anterior–posterior) were evaluated separately, and subsequently, the distributions of restorative materials were compared according to these variables. Clinical success was defined as the absence of pain, abscess or fistula, mobility, and percussion sensitivity, while radiographic success was defined as the absence of pathological root resorption, widening of the periodontal ligament space, radiolucency in the furcation and periapical regions, and disruption of lamina dura integrity. According to the obtained results, in amputation, a statistically significant difference in favor of girls was found with respect to gender. According to treatment age, in Group 2; according to localization, in the mandible; and according to follow-up time, at 6–12 and 12–18 months, statistically significant differences were found in favor of prefabricated crowns. However, in root canal treatment, no statistically significant differences were found for any of the variables. In conclusion, it was observed that endodontic treatments applied to primary teeth treated under general anesthesia had high clinical and radiographic success rates, and that prefabricated crowns played an important role in achieving this success. Keywords: General anesthesia, primary teeth, pulpotomy, pulpectomy.