Emergency dental services: review of the Community Health NHS Trust Service in Birmingham between 1997 and 2000.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To confirm the need for an emergency dental service in Birmingham and to review the emergency dental service run by the South Birmingham Community Health NHS Trust.

DESIGN

A retrospective study of patients attending the emergency dental service from March 1997 to August 2000, using computerised patient records and a supplementary questionnaire for a nine-month period between August 1997 and April 1998.

SETTING

Birmingham Dental Hospital.

RESULTS

A review of the computerised records revealed that a total of 10,799 patients were seen during the study period. In the first year, on average five patients were seen on weekday evening sessions and 13 patients at weekends/public holidays. By the final year of the study, these figures increased to ten on weekday evenings and 16 at weekends/public holidays. Forty-three per cent of the attendees were in the 31-50 year age group and 33% in 19-30 year age group. Twenty-five per cent of patients required extractions, 20% received temporary dressings, 17% a prescription for antibiotics and 9% were treated for acute mucosal conditions such as pericoronitis. The remainder received other items of treatments, such as for dry sockets. The supplementary questionnaire revealed that during the period August 1997 to April 1998, 67% of the patients lived in Birmingham and the other 33% in the surrounding areas, and some 59% of patients claimed that they were registered with a dentist of whom 60% of patients were not exempt from NHS charges.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that the service was widely and increasingly used during the study period. A similar pattern of emergency dental care in dedicated clinics could be established throughout the United Kingdom. A profile of users of the service during its first three-and-a-half years has been established.