Emergency Department Visits Involving Dental Conditions

Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project #280

Oral health contributes to overall wellbeing and improved quality of life. Untreated poor dental health also can lead to negative general health outcomes.  Most oral diseases tend to be progressive and cumulative without intervention. Tooth decay and periodontal disease are among the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide and have been shown to be associated with a number of life-threatening conditions, including sepsis, diabetes, and heart disease.

Emergency Department Visits Involving Dental Conditions (PDF, 513 KB), a statistical brief from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), presents statistics on emergency department (ED) visits involving dental conditions. Characteristics of dental-related ED visits, including visits that result in discharge from the ED (treat and release) and visits that result in admission to the hospital, are presented.

Highlights

• In 2018, there were more than 2 million dental-related ED visits, which represented 615.5 visits per 100,000 population.
• The highest population rates of dental-related ED visits were among non-Hispanic Black individuals, individuals aged 18–44 years, and those residing in the lowest income communities, (rates of 1,362.4, 1,107.4, and 1,069.1 per 100,000 population, respectively).
• A higher proportion of dental-related than non-dental-related ED visits were expected to be paid by Medicaid (42 vs. 32 percent) or to be self-pay/no charge (26 vs. 12 percent).
• Of all dental-related ED visits, nearly 95 percent were treated and released, and 5 percent resulted in admission to the hospital.
• Among treat-and-release ED visits with a principal diagnosis of a dental condition, three groups of dental conditions accounted for 93 percent of visits—loss of teeth and similar disorders, diseases of pulp and periapical tissues, and dental caries.
• Diseases of pulp and periapical tissues was the most common group of dental-related conditions for ED visits resulting in hospital admission, accounting for 85 percent of admitted ED visits with a principal diagnosis of a dental condition.
   

Select to access Emergency Department Visits Involving Dental Conditions (PDF, 513 KB).