Identifying Risk Factors for Dental Emergency Visits in the US Army
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between subjects oral health characteristics and the presence of an emergency dental care (EDC) visit over one year. Materials and Methods: The Corporate Dental System (CDS) generated a limited dataset for service members assigned for dental care at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Data extracted included demographics and oral health characteristics (dental readiness classification, caries risk, periodontal screening and recording values (PSR), and tobacco use). Subjects were grouped based on the presence of an EDC visit code in the past year. Results: 20,210 individuals were included in the sample. 8.5 percent of individuals sought emergency dental care during the period. Kruskal-Wallis tests found significant differences (P less than 0.05) in EDC visits between age groups, gender, rank, dental readiness classification, and caries risk. Younger age, females, and low caries risk had the most significant increase in EDC visits. There was no significant difference in EDC visits between PSR or tobacco usage groups. Conclusion: This study supports a relationship between demographics, oral health characteristics, and EDC visits. Age may be related to service members entering the military with untreated or managed dental needs, notably around the age of third molar eruption. Gender differences may be related to willingness to utilize non-emergency dental care or differences in oral hygiene habits. The inverse relationship between caries risk and EDC visits could be due to better identification and management of high caries risk patients or care avoidance. This project highlights the need for further study and increasingly discrete measurement of oral health care characteristics and coding for etiologies of dental emergencies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1222315
Entities
People
- Patrick J. Arbuckle
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences