Perception of a Modified General Anaesthesia Intubation Technique in Paediatric Dentistry: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Endotracheal airway is essential in children undergoing dental general anaesthesia (DGA). Paediatric dentists’ (PD) work with anaesthetists who use both nasal and oral intubation routes. Thus the study aimed to assess Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) PDs’ preference of oral or nasal endotracheal intubation and their perception regarding a modified oral intubation technique that avoids occlusal interference using a Ring, Adair and Elwyn “RAE” tube. Materials and Method: PDs in GCC were surveyed about their preference of endotracheal intubation and the modified RAE oral intubation method via a web-based questionnaire. Responses were analyzed by χ2 and Exact Fischer’s test. Statistical significance was set as p <0.05. Results: A total of 73 PDs who perform DGA responded, a majority of whom (79.5%) preferred the nasal route. Male PDs were more familiar with RAE (p=0.031). More PDs within the ages 36-45 years agreed on using the proposed modified technique (p=0.027). Considering the reported complications associated with nasotracheal and traditional oral intubation, 49 PD (67.1%) believed that the modified technique was worth consideration. Conclusion: Most PDs preferred the nasal route, but more than half would consider utilizing the RAE-modified oral intubation technique. Further research and hands-on workshops of the modified RAE oral tube for DGA are suggested.