Analysis of adult dental emergencies at a medical center in southern Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The need for dental emergency (DE) services has increased in recent years. This study therefore investigated the characteristics of patients presenting with DEs in a medical center in southern Taiwan.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective study of 1964 adult patients who presented with a DE at the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in 2018. Medical records providing age, sex, time, day, past visit history, chief complaint, diagnosis, and treatment were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

The results revealed that men constituted 52.4% of the patients with DEs, the average age was 45.6 years, and the age distribution peak was 20-29 years (26.5%). The peak period for the DE visit was between 17:00 and 24:00 (42.1%), and the peak day of the week was Sunday (27.4%), followed by Saturday (18.0%). The most common chief complaint was pain (49.8%), and the diagnoses were as follows: pulp-related problems (36.7%), periodontal-related problems (22.9%), trauma (22.2%), odontogenic infection (15.3%), postoperative complications (9.2%), and temporomandibular disorders (3.7%). Dental treatment and medication were prescribed for 51.9% of the patients with DE. The rate of patients recommended for further dental treatment was 86.8%, and the actual return rate was 40.1%.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that the top three reasons for adult DE visits were pulp-related problems, periodontal-related problems, and trauma. These results may be used as a reference for dentists who provide DE services.