Treatment of Preventable Dental Cavities in Preschoolers: A Focus on Day Surgery under General

Anesthesia

CIHI Released: October 17, 2013

In Canada during 2010-11 and 2011-12: • 19,000 day surgery operations to treat dental

caries for children aged 1-5 (under 6).

• 31% of all day surgery is for dental treatment.

• Leading cause of day surgery for ages 1-5.

In Canada during 2010-11 and 2011-12:

• Represents 1 per 100 children for ages 1 to younger than 5.

• 99% done under general anesthesia.

Day Surgery Rates • 8.6 times higher among neighborhoods with higher

aboriginal populations, versus lower.

• 3.9 times higher for children from least affluent versus most affluent neighborhoods.

• 3.1 times as high for children from rural versus urban neighborhoods.

Day Surgery Rates

• 82 minutes was the average length of time children were in the operating room.

• 79 minutes was the average length of time children were in the operating room in Saskatchewan (3rd lowest).

Public Cost • $21.2 Million per year, for children age 1-5.

• Cost does not include caregiver costs, travel, dental treatment, or anesthesiologists.

• Average cost per surgery ranged from $1,271 in New Brunswick to $1,963 in Alberta.

• Saskatchewan was the 4th highest, with an average cost of $1,699.

• In the four western provinces, the average anesthesiologist cost per surgery ranged from $240 in Manitoba to $361 in Saskatchewan.

• One in five families (or 22%) travelled 2 or more hours for ECC day surgery visits.

• In Saskatchewan, 38% of children travelled 120 minutes one-way (4th highest in Canada).

Public Cost (continued)

• Day surgery rate is 35 per 1,000 children in Saskatchewan (3rd highest rate in Canada).

• In Saskatchewan, SHR had the highest volume of procedures.

• Volume by facility in Saskatchewan is 280 (7%) private practice, versus 3,606 (93%) hospital.

Public Cost (continued)