A three-year retrospective study of emergency visits at an oral health clinic in south-east Queensland

Background: There is little information available regarding dental emergencies for children in Australia. The aim of this study was to investigate the reasons for dental emergency cases which were treated at a public oral health clinic in a low socioeconomic district in south-east Queensland. Methods: From a register kept at a public oral health clinic, we analysed the monthly number of emergency visits for children over a three-year period (January 2008 to August 2010) with respect to numbers treated, reasons for presentation and types of treatment rendered. Results: During the period 2008-2010, there was a mean of 196 +/- 86 cases presenting for emergency care each month. The proportions of the various types of emergencies remained fairly consistent over the three-year period, with the majority presenting for caries related problems (74-75%), followed by trauma (89%), orthodontic treatment related (2-5%) and other reasons (16-11%). Between 8-11% of cases were preschool children who were added to the waitlist for treatment for caries under general anaesthesia at the public hospital. Conclusions: Trends in the past three years at a public oral health clinic in a low socioeconomic district in south-east Queensland show that dental caries constitute nearly three-quarters of all paediatric emergency appointments