Rapid response: activity from a hospital based Urgent Dental Care Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

On 23rd March, the UK Government announced a nationwide lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the unequivocal and absolute cessation of all elective dental treatment. With much conflicting evidence on best practice to deliver safe treatment comprising of emergency dento-alveolar surgery, this paper describes the protocols which were undertaken to successfully set up a novel Urgent Dental Care Centre (UDCC) service within a short timeframe. We present patient data from referral through to treatment for the entire ten-week period of operation. A UDCC was established at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup within 10 days of this announcement. Through an iterative process with minor stakeholders and in collaboration with our Local Dental Committee, a comprehensive urgent dental service was established. Our UDCC received 1,311 referrals within a 10-week period, with 884 patients being accepted for treatment. The majority of treatment delivered in this emergency setting was surgical dento-alveolar procedures (84%). Sixteen per cent of patients attended for trauma, first stage restorative treatment for teeth and postoperative complications. Both aerosol and non-aerosol generating procedures were available to patients. Preventing acute hospital admissions relies on the ability to provide safe dento-alveolar surgery. Our results advocate that our unique UDCC is efficient and provides appropriate patient access and outcomes for those most in need of urgent dental treatment in the face of a pandemic.

Management of dental emergencies at tertiary dental care center, Rohtak during COVID-19 pandemic

“…Out-patient services began in May, 2020. Approximately the same proportions of male and female reported in the OPD (52.8% v/s 47.2) which is in accordance with the study of Haquin Guo [12] et al, AM Kranz [13] et al, Pajpani et al [14] and Kristian Blackhall [15] et al…”

“…The combined proportion of periapical and pulpal pathologies leading to pain are 43.5% which becomes the most common cause to seek emergency dental care. This is in line with the studies done by Haquin Guo et al [12] Sanford Grossmann et al [17] Ashish Shrestha et al [18] Dashrath Kafle et al [19] and Pajpani et al [14] . The proportions of patients seeking emergency dental care due to abscess/ swelling /space infection are 3.4% and those reporting due to trauma/ fracture are 2.3%.…”

“…The proportions of patients seeking emergency dental care due to abscess/ swelling /space infection are 3.4% and those reporting due to trauma/ fracture are 2.3%. The observations in previous studies show a much higher range [12,14,15,20] . Emergency services like extraction (29%) of the teeth causing pain, sutures/ intermaxillary fixations (7.9%) in case of orofacial trauma and pulpectomies (21%) were the main treatment provided in the Departments of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Endodontic and Pedodontic.…”

Management of odontogenic cervicofacial infections presenting to oral and maxillofacial units during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

“…This would serve not only to provide best possible care in a pandemic, but also minimise risks of COVID exposure and reduce the strain on emergency departments. 10 …”

Assessing the impact of an urgent dental care centre on the oral health-related quality of life of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In response to this absolute termination of services, Urgent Dental Care Centres (UDCCs) were established to provide emergency dental treatment where AAA was ineffective. One such UDCC operating outside the established NHS-111 service was set up within 10 days of the lockdown announcement at Queen Mary’s Hospital (QMH) in Sidcup 1 . This district general hospital serves the local population of South East London and Kent.…”