Dental disease levels and reasons for emergency clinic attendance in patients seeking relief of pain in Auckland.

This study examined the reasons for attendance, duration of the problem, treatment expectations and oral health of patients seeking relief of pain at Auckland hospital dental departments and a private accident and emergency clinic. One-third of hospital-clinic participants and 15 percent of private-clinic participants had delayed treatment for more than 1 month. Sixty-three percent of hospital-clinic and 30 percent of private-clinic participants expected to receive an extraction. The hospital-clinic group had a mean of 5.0 (SD 3.9) decayed teeth, and the private clinic group a mean of 2.3 (SD 2.8) decayed teeth. Periodontal treatment needs were also significantly higher among participants attending the hospital clinics. Twenty-five percent of hospital-clinic participants had complex periodontal treatment needs. Further research is required to estimate the size of the population these groups represent and to investigate the reasons for these differences.