The pattern of patient attendance for emergency care in a British dental teaching hospital.

All new patients attending a dental hospital emergency clinic over a 10 week period were surveyed as to their reason for attendance. Six hundred and seven patients were seen and surveyed. Most complained of orofacial pain (77 per cent), swelling (22 per cent) or a lost restoration (21 per cent) but only 11 per cent had had their problem for less than one day. Most (60 per cent) had had symptoms for more than two days, and 29 per cent had had problems for more than 1 week.