Emergency care in pediatric dentistry.
The emergency room records of 1,456 children who were treated at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh with any oral complaint, during a single calendar year, were reviewed with the data entered into a computer. The data were tabulated and statistically analyzed. Trauma (676 visits) was responsible for 46 percent of the total visits, with boys representing a significantly higher percentage of trauma visits than girls (440 vs 236). The total number of trauma visits was also significantly higher for the youngest age-group (birth to three years). Soft-tissue injuries represented a substantially higher percentage of trauma cases (58 percent), compared with dental injuries (35 percent) and bony injuries (3 percent). Emergency dental services are a viable part of emergency services in major population centers; emergency care is an essential component of overall dental services.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003796:Dental Service, Hospital; D004630:Emergencies; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009055:Mouth / Q000293:injuries*; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D018677:Tooth Injuries