Children's oral health: implications for emergency and urgent care pathways

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Access to routine National Health Service (NHS) dental care for children in the UK is a significant public health concern.
• Preventable dental conditions frequently lead to emergency and urgent care presentations, indicating failures in primary dental service access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore barriers children face in accessing routine NHS dental care.
• To identify factors contributing to preventable emergency dental care presentations in children.

Main Methods:

• A literature review of seven included studies was conducted.
• The review synthesized evidence on barriers to children's dental care access and factors influencing emergency presentations.

Main Results:

• Four main themes emerged: socioeconomic deprivation, vulnerable populations (e.g., looked-after children, autistic children), service availability, and parental disengagement/limited oral health education.
• Poor access is shaped by structural and social inequalities, not just individual factors.
• Inequalities contribute to avoidable emergency visits for conditions manageable in primary dental settings.

Conclusions:

• Inequitable access to routine dental care results in preventable emergency presentations for children.
• Implications for emergency nursing include recognizing unmet needs, safeguarding concerns, sensitive communication, and facilitating earlier intervention and signposting to appropriate dental services.