Pain and problems: a prospective cross‐sectional study of the impact of dental emergencies

Abstract

One-third of the population will only attend the dentist for an acute problem, often waiting a period of time before presenting. The objective of this study was to investigate the levels of pain in patients presenting for a dental emergency and the impact this had on their quality of life. Questionnaires were provided to adult patients attending dental emergency services over 1 week. Demographic and clinical details were collected. Quality of life was measured using EQ-5D-5L. Pain and the interference it caused were examined using the graded chronic pain scale. Data were analysed in STATA using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney and chi-squared tests. Results showed that majority of patients (64%) seen were male; the mean age was 36 (±14) years. Forty six per cent of patients reported having a general dental practitioner. One-third of the patients had attended this service previously for emergency care, and 13% consulted for the same problem. The mean duration of pain was 17·7 (±52·3) days prior to seeking care. The mean characteristic pain intensity was 53·6 (±23·6). The mean disability score was 43·4 (±33·6). The mean EQ-5D-5L score was 0·57 (±0·27). In conclusion, a large number of patients attend the emergency dental services despite being 'registered' with a general dental practitioner. A proportion of these individuals will re-attend for the same condition. Patients will often be in pain for over 2 weeks before attending, which may have a significant impact on their quality of life. Further research is warranted to investigate these care-seeking behaviours and patterns.

Dental pain in the medical emergency department: a cross‐sectional study

“…This demographic is in keeping with previous studies carried out in the United States (9,13-25), Canada (26,27), Australia (28) and Korea (29). Interestingly, it is also this demographic who are known not to attend a dentist on a regular basis, and instead opt for emergency dental treatment (4,(30)(31)(32)(33)(34). The reason for the gender differences observed is unknown, however, but may relate to the nature of the diagnoses (e.g.…”

“…Almost one‐third of the adult population of the UK will only seek dental care when they are having an acute problem, and 9% of the population experience ongoing dental pain . Those seeking emergency dental care may seek care from other healthcare professionals such as general medical practitioners (GPs) , pharmacists , secondary care dental emergency clinics and medical emergency departments (MED) rather than attending with a general dental practitioner. According to Hospital Episode Statistics, approximately 0·08% of visits to MEDs are for dental‐related problems in the UK ; however, a much higher proportion is seen in the United States (1·65%), approximating to 2·1 million attendances per year.…”

The first 6 weeks – setting up a UK urgent dental care centre during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Over the 6-week period there was a relatively equal split of patient gender attending the UDCC, this is in contrast with typical patient demographics accessing emergency dental care whereby the patient population is predominantly male (12)(13)(14). This change in demographic could reflect the change in service provision, whereby female patients who were more likely to be registered with a GDP in this cohort, and who are more likely to seek care at an early stage (15,16) started to present to the UDCC rather than primary care.…”

Having fewer than 21 teeth associated with poorer general health among South Australians

“…A higher prevalence of suicide ideation was observed among those with both TMD and lower EQ‐PD utility. In a study of adult patients attending emergency services for dental problems, Currie and colleagues reported that EQ‐5D scores were low compared to population norms . Among approximately 900 Han Chinese older adults, Gao et al .…”