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The medical profile of patients accessing emergency dental care: A comparative study
Author(s) -
Gray Emma,
HedayatKelishadi Melika,
Rowe Sally,
Dave Manas,
Patel Neil
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
oral surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.156
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1752-248X
pISSN - 1752-2471
DOI - 10.1111/ors.12740
Subject(s) - medicine , life expectancy , emergency medicine , oral and maxillofacial surgery , population , pediatrics , dentistry , environmental health
As the life expectancy of the general population increases, the proportion of patients living with comorbidities and retaining their natural dentition will also increase. Therefore, the medical profile of patients is postulated to change with time. Aim The aim was to explore the changes in medical profiles of adult patients attending a University Dental Hospital for emergency dental care and scheduled oral surgery appointments compared to data from 9 years previously. Methods Data from 400 systematically sampled adult patients booked in for either emergency or oral surgery appointments between 1 October 2020 and 16 October 2020 were retrospectively recorded. Results From the 400 patients sampled, 67% ( n = 267) had a single medical condition and 34% ( n = 135) had more than one medical condition. This represented a respective increase of 34% and 11% from our study in 2011–2012. Cardiovascular, psychiatric and respiratory diseases were the most common presenting conditions. Sixty‐three percent of patients were taking a prescribed medication (increased by 29%) with the most common being antihypertensives, proton‐pump inhibitors/antacids and antidepressants. Conclusion There is an increase in patients presenting with medical conditions and medications. The results from this study can be used to develop courses and inform the undergraduate curriculum.