Local anesthesia with and without conscious sedation versus general anesthesia for oral surgical procedures in pediatric patients: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of general anesthesia versus local anesthesia with or without conscious sedation for minor oral surgery procedures in pediatric patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 192 pediatric patients who underwent 227 minor oral surgery procedures between 2017 and 2019 at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at Hospital Clínico Universitario in Valencia, Spain. Results: Of the 192 patients studied, 57.27% were male and 42.73% female (mean age, 9.83 years). General anesthesia was used in 51.54% of procedures, and LA with or without conscious sedation in 48.46%. Pain, occurring in 2.56% of general anesthesia procedures and 2.73% of local anesthesia procedures, was the most common complication, followed by infection (1.71% of general anesthesia procedures). Procedural success was 94.87% in the general anesthesia group and 91.82% in the local anesthesia group. No significant differences were observed in success or complication rates between the groups. Conclusions: Compared with local anesthesia with or without conscious sedation, general anesthesia does not result in lower procedural success rates or a higher risk of complications other than mild pain in pediatric dental patients.