Demographic, Geographic, and Temporal Patterns of Adult Dental Emergency Presentations in Arad County, Western...

Background/Objectives: This retrospective study aimed to assess the sociodemographic and temporal factors associated with dental emergency presentations in adults from Arad county, Western Romania. Methods: We collected data on age, sex, origin area, presentation time, and diagnostic (macro)category in 510 adult patients. Diagnoses were grouped into four macrocategories: dental pathology (PD), endodontic and periapical pathology (EPP), odontogenic septic complications (OSC), and other emergencies (OE). Results: EPP was the predominant (macro)category, with most cases involving acute apical periodontitis and pulpitis. Age differed significantly across diagnostic categories (p < 0.001), with PD patients being significantly younger than other groups (p < 0.001). Increasing age was associated with higher odds of EPP (AOR = 1.06, p = 0.004) but lower odds of PD (AOR = 0.93, p < 0.001). Rural origin was associated with increased odds of EPP (AOR = 1.49, p = 0.031) but decreased odds of OE (AOR = 0.39, p = 0.003). No significant associations were identified for sex. Most patients presented in the evening (46.47%) and on weekends, particularly Sundays (21%; n = 107) and Saturdays (16%; n = 82). Patient age differed significantly across time intervals (p = 0.016), with individuals seeking dental emergency care during morning and afternoon hours being significantly older than those presenting in the evening (p = 0.009) or nighttime (p = 0.047). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that observed sociodemographic and temporal differences may be associated with variations in the stage and type of dental pathology at presentation. Understanding these presentation patterns may help inform service organization and resource allocation in emergency dental care.