Hospital admissions for dental care in children: England 1997-2006

To determine the pattern of hospital admissions for dental care of children and adolescents between 1997 and 2006.

Retrospective analysis of data from the Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) database (1 April 1997 to 30 March 2006) if the patient was aged up to 17 years old and their primary diagnosis was a dental condition.

Primary diagnosis, treatment provided, socioeconomic status.

There were 517,885 NHS episodes of care for dental conditions in 470,113 children. Over half of the admissions were primarily for dental caries and 80% of all the admissions involved extractions. The peak age for caries-related extractions was five years old. There was a steady increase in the annual number of episodes of care with most of the increased activity attributable to a 66% increase in extractions for caries. More episodes of care were provided for children who lived in relatively deprived areas compared to more affluent areas.

Data from the HES highlights a major public health issue. Caries is a preventable disease yet the number of children being admitted for elective extractions of teeth due to caries was increasing yearly. Further investigation to determine some of the underlying reasons for this trend is required.