Management and Demographic Evaluation of Endodont Treatment Cases Performed Under General Anesthesia

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients referred to the Department of Endodontics at Istanbul Beykent University who required endodontic treatment and were scheduled for dental treatment under general anesthesia, with a particular focus on their endodontic management and postoperative evaluation. Methods This retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the clinical records of 14 patients of different age groups who presented to the Department of Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul Beykent University, between March 2024 and March 2026 for treatment and whose dental treatments were completed under general anesthesia. A total of 42 teeth that underwent endodontic treatment were included. Among patients who met the inclusion criteria, the relationships between sex, medical history, type of systemic condition, hospitalization status, percussion pain at the first-week follow-up, root canal filling quality, and the presence of panoramic radiographs were evaluated. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0. Categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. One-sample distributions were evaluated using the chi-square test, while associations between variables were assessed using the Fisher–Freeman–Halton exact test. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results The study included 14 patients and 42 teeth that underwent endodontic treatment under general anesthesia. The majority of the patients were female, and neurodevelopmental disorders were the most frequently identified condition in the medical history. Among the systemic conditions, dental phobia and cerebral palsy were the most frequently observed diagnoses. Among the treated teeth, molars constituted the largest proportion, followed by anterior and premolar teeth. At the first-week clinical evaluation, pain assessment could not be performed in a substantial proportion of cases due to communication limitations. The majority of root canal fillings were assessed as ideal, and panoramic radiographic records were available for most of the cases. No statistically significant differences were found between tooth-type distribution and sex or the presence of panoramic radiographs according to the medical history groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion Endodontic treatment performed under general anesthesia appears to be a feasible treatment approach for patients with difficulties in cooperation and communication. However, communication difficulties may constitute an important limitation in the assessment of postoperative pain. The fact that the majority of root canal fillings were of ideal quality suggests that, with appropriate patient selection and treatment planning, endodontic treatment can be successfully performed under general anesthesia.