Utilization of emergency services for non-traumatic dental disease

To identify and characterize children who utilize emergency dental services for non-traumatic dental disease.

Caregivers of children under 12 years old who seek out emergency services for the treatment of non-traumatic dental disease will be surveyed regarding their child's current oral health status. Patient's clinical data will be obtained and they will be further followed for a period of 2 months to determine if they follow-up with recommendations for comprehensive dental care.

One hundred and ninety-eight people participated in the study (97% response rate). Eighty-three percent of the children were diagnosed with dental caries. Seventy-four percent of patients of record presented with an emergency at least once before and 73% had a history of one or more broken appointments. Patients with a history of previous emergency visits (OR = 3.45, CI = 2.05, 5.81) or a history of missed appointments (OR = 2.21, CI = 1.42, 3.58) were significantly more likely to fail to return for comprehensive care (P < .01).

This study shows that those who utilize emergency services more than once, or have a history of missed appointments are more likely to continue to utilize emergency dental services as their primary means for dental care.