Long L, Corsar K
Oral and Facial Department, Pinderfields Hospital, Aberford Road, Wakefield WF1 4DG, United Kingdom.
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2020 Jul;58(6):713-714. doi: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2020.04.030. Epub 2020 May 1.
This paper investigates the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak and closure of dental practices on the frequency and severity of dental infections presenting in our emergency department. We compared the mean number of daily emergency department referrals for dental abscesses in the two weeks prior to and following the Chief Dental Officer's statement advising general dental practitioners to cease routine appointments, the mean number decreased from 1 to 0.37. In contrast, the severity and requirement for admission of these infections rose from 35% to 80%. This highlights the importance of the provision of local urgent dental centres during the COVID-19 outbreak in order to reduce pressure on secondary and tertiary care centres.
本文研究了新冠疫情爆发及牙科诊所关闭对我院急诊科牙科感染发生频率和严重程度的影响。我们比较了在首席牙科官建议普通牙科从业者停止常规预约之前和之后两周内，急诊科每日因牙脓肿转诊的平均数量，该平均数量从1降至0.37。相比之下，这些感染的严重程度及住院需求从35%升至80%。这凸显了在新冠疫情爆发期间设立当地紧急牙科中心的重要性，以便减轻二级和三级护理中心的压力。
