COMPARISON OF SEVOFLURANE AND ISOFLURANE ON POST-ANESTHETIC RECOVERY IN PEDIATRIC DENTAL PROCEDURES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Background:Early Childhood Caries (ECC) frequently necessitates dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA)
in uncooperative children. The choice of anesthetic agent influences not only physiological recovery but also
behavioral comfort and parental perception. This study compared postoperative recovery outcomes and parental
satisfaction in children undergoing dental procedures under GA with Sevoflurane or Isoflurane.
Materials and Methods:A randomized controlled trial was conducted on thirty-six children aged 2–6 years (ASA I–
II) undergoing dental rehabilitation under GA. Participants were allocated into two groups: Group S (Sevoflurane)
and Group I (Isoflurane)for anesthesia maintenance. Recovery was assessed using the modified Aldrete score,
postoperative distress was measured using the FLACC behavioral scale (0–10), and parental satisfaction was
evaluated with an 8-item, 5-point Likert questionnaire. Data were analyzed using t-tests and Chi-square tests (p <
0.05).
Results:Both anesthetic agents provided stable hemodynamics and smooth recovery. Mean Aldrete recovery times
and nausea scores were comparable between groups. The Isoflurane group showed significantly lower FLACC scores
(7.1 ± 1.3 vs. 8.4 ± 1.2; p = 0.004), indicating reduced behavioral agitation during emergence. Parental satisfaction
was also higher with Isoflurane (38.2 ± 2.0 vs. 36.5 ± 2.4; p = 0.02), particularly regarding comfort, pain control, and
recovery smoothness.
Conclusions:Isoflurane produced comparable anesthetic stability to Sevoflurane but demonstrated calmer behavioral
recovery and greater parental satisfaction, suggesting it as a safe, cost-effective alternative for pediatric dental
anesthesia.