title: Soldiers' dental complaints compared with clinical findings in the Military Hospital in Bologna, Italy.
abstract: There is no previous data published on the frequency and reasons for dental emergencies in the Italian Army. In this study, all the 329 soldiers who sought dental help during a 5-month period in the Military Hospital in Bologna were investigated. Prior to clinical examination, the soldiers filled out a questionnaire concerning their subjective perception about their dental treatment needs. Data from the questionnaire were then compared with the actual status findings. The results showed that endodontic problems comprised the majority of the cases (37.1%), followed by surgical problems as the second most frequent emergency (33.1%). The subjects' own perceptions showed good agreement with the clinical record in cases with endodontal or surgical problems, excluding problems related to wisdom teeth, while those related to caries and periodontal disease were less frequently correctly assessed by the soldiers.
authors.affiliation: University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Calderara
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zuccari
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wahlman
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Meurman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003788:Dental Pulp Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D003792:Dental Records; D003796:Dental Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006772:Hospitals, Military / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*