Analysis of patients utilizing emergency dental care in two Finnish cities

The use of emergency dental services was surveyed by interviewing patients seeking treatment during hours of organized emergency service in two large cities in Finland. It was spread rather evenly over all the days of the week. Marked differences were found between the volume of dental emergencies in the two cities. More than 60% of the patients had been in pain for 1 to 3 days and needed immediate help. One-third of the emergency visits were made by 20- to 29-year-olds. No significant differences in use of the services were found between men and women, although a larger proportion of women than men claimed to visit a dentist regularly and to have a dentist of their own. Fourteen per cent had failed to get an appointment with their regular dentist. More than 40% of the patients had used the emergency services previously. These patients, more often than first-time users, visited a dentist irregularly, did not have their own dentist, and were content with the rapid service at the emergency clinic.