Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42071183›Full record

Trial reportBMC anesthesiology2026

Effect of early lollipop sucking in the post-anesthesia care unit on recovery quality in children undergoing outpatient dental treatment under general anesthesia: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Yaqiu Zhang, Zhenzhen Gao, Long Wu, Rui Lu, Yan Liu, Bing Liu

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC anesthesiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Yaqiu ZhangState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Anesthesiology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, P.R. China.
Zhenzhen GaoState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Anesthesiology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, P.R. China.
Long WuState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Anesthesiology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, P.R. China.
Rui LuState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Anesthesiology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, P.R. China.
Yan LiuState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Anesthesiology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, P.R. China.
Bing LiuState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Anesthesiology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, P.R. China. adalb729@163.com.

Funding

the National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases No. LCB202214
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEnhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols emphasize multimodal strategies to improve postoperative outcomes. In children undergoing dental treatment under general anesthesia, the recovery is often accompanied by pain, agitation, and oral discomfort. Although lollipop sucking may alleviate these issues through physiological and psychological mechanisms, some evidence supporting its use remains limited. In this work, we evaluated whether early lollipop sucking enhances recovery quality and satisfaction in the population.

methodsFrom March to October 2025, we conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) at School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, China. The participants included children aged 2 to 10 years who underwent outpatient dental treatment under general anesthesia. 140 patients were randomly divided into two groups: one group received a lollipop, while the other group did not, after awakening from anesthesia. We compared the primary and secondary outcome measures, which included postoperative recovery quality (QoR-15 score), pain (FLACC scale), emergence agitation (PAED scale), duration of PACU stay, time to discharge, and the parental satisfaction.

resultsIn this study, we collected and analyzed data from 140 patients. The lollipop group demonstrated significantly superior outcomes compared to the non-lollipop group. Specifically, they exhibited higher QoR-15 scores (131.81 ± 1.52 vs. 126.70 ± 0.90, P < 0.01) and lower FLACC pain scores (2.44 ± 1.07 vs. 4.03 ± 1.99, P < 0.001). Emergence agitation was also significantly reduced, with median PAED scores of 5.00 [4.00,6.00] versus 7.00 [5.00,10.00] (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the lollipop group experienced shorter durations of PACU stay (20.46 ± 3.75 min vs. 25.79 ± 3.04 min, P < 0.001) and expedited discharge times (median 120.00 [120.00,135.00] min vs. 140.00 [135.00,150.00] min, P < 0.001). Parental satisfaction was also significantly higher in the lollipop group (P = 0.030). After adjusting for potential confounders, lollipop use remained independently associated with improved recovery quality, reduced pain and agitation, and shortened recovery times.

conclusionsEarly lollipop use in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) significantly improves postoperative recovery in children undergoing outpatient dental procedures under general anesthesia. This intervention effectively reduces pain and emergence agitation, shortens recovery and discharge times, and enhances parental satisfaction. As a simple, safe, and non-pharmacological approach, it aligns well with the principles of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and offers a practical approach to optimizing pediatric perioperative care. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2500099389) on March 24, 2025.

Indexed as

Anesthesia, GeneralAnesthesia Recovery PeriodAmbulatory Surgical ProceduresChildChild, PreschoolEmergence DeliriumFemaleHumansLength of StayMalePatient SatisfactionPediatric AnesthesiaPostoperative PainProspective StudiesDental treatmentLollipopOutpatient general anesthesiaPediatricRecovery quality

Identifiers

PMID42071183
PMCPMC13285042

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.