J Korean Dent Soc Anesthesiol.  2011 Dec;11(2):172-176. 10.17245/jkdsa.2011.11.2.172.

Dental Treatment of Pediatric Patients with Mouth Opening Limitation under General Anesthesia

• Han HJ
• Seo KS
• Kim HJ
• Shin TJ
• Kwoen YS

• KMID: 2425216
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17245/jkdsa.2011.11.2.172

Abstract

For dental treatment of children with severe dental phobia, sedation or general anesthesia is usually selected for enhancement of cooperation. But in the case of mouth opening limitation due to temporomandibular disorders, general anesthesia administration is a challenge for anesthesiologist. Because airway management failure was concerned, awake fibroscopic intubation is selected first. But, skillful fibroscopic intubation is not easy in case of uncooprative children patients. In this report, we present two cases of pediatric patients with mouth opening limitation. In the first case, the patient was 52 months old and the maximum opening distance was 1.2 cm, and in the second case the patient was 38 months old and the maximum opening distance was 1.5 cm. Both patients showed severe dental phobia. After sevoflurane inhalation without any intravenous drug, we successfully performed intubation using a fibroscope.

Keyword

Pediatric Patient; Mouth opening limitation; General anesthesia; Airway management; Dental Treatment

MeSH Terms

Airway Management
Anesthesia, General*
Child
Dental Anxiety
Humans
Inhalation
Intubation
Mouth*
Temporomandibular Joint Disorders