, "Mucosal Injury During Nasotracheal Intubation for Dental Procedures in Children-does the Tube Design Matter?"

"Mucosal Injury During Nasotracheal Intubation for Dental Procedures in Children-does the Tube Design Matter?"

Comparison is made between standard nasotracheal tubes and a specially designed nasotracheal tube during nasotracheal intubation in children undergoing general anesthesia for dental surgery.

The Parker flex-tip, midline-beveled nasotracheal tube theoretically slides past obstruction in the nasopharynx causing less mucosal damage than standard nasotracheal tubes.

The investigators aim to test whether mucosal injury during nasotracheal intubation in children undergoing general anesthesia for dental procedures can thus be minimized taking into consideration adenoid size, and differences in nasopharyngeal diameter.

Inclusion Criteria:

• children between the ages of 3-11, ASA 1-3, presenting to Wolfson Children's Hospital (WCH) for dental procedures requiring general anesthesia with nasotracheal intubation.

Exclusion Criteria:

• ASA >3
• known bleeding disorders
• recent or ongoing treatment with blood-thinning medicines
• frequent epistaxis
• active URI/congestion/rhinorrhea
• craniofacial abnormalities prohibiting NTI
• known difficult airway
• prior nasal surgery/trauma
• allergies to any of the medicines used in this study.