Pediatric emergency room visits for nontraumatic dental disease.
OBJECTIVE
This study described the incidence and predisposing, enabling, and need factors of outpatients in a pediatric ER who sought care for nontraumatic preventable dental disease and analyzed treatment rendered by attending physicians and associated hospital charges for treatment.


METHODS
Chart review of outpatients discharged from the ER of a children's hospital during 1996-97, using ICD-9 diagnostic codes for dental caries, periapical abscess and facial cellulitis yielded the data for this investigation.


RESULTS
During 1996-97, 149 patients made 159 ER visits. The most common diagnoses were ICD-9 codes 521.0 for dental caries (48%) and 522.5 for periapical abscess (47%). Medicaid recipients used the ER at an intermediate level between patients with no payor source and those with private insurance. Almost one-half of the accounts changed status during the billing process, with the majority being entered as private pay upon admission, but changing to bad debt or charity after the registration records were processed and collection was attempted. Most patients were treated empirically by the ER physicians according to their presenting signs/symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
This study confirmed that parents utilize the ER as their child's primary dental care source.
Graham
D B
DB
Dental Service, Children's Medical Center of Dallas, USA.
Webb
M D
MD
Seale
N S
NS
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002481:Cellulitis / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000191:economics*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000628:therapy; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006300:Health Services Misuse; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010482:Periapical Abscess / Q000628:therapy; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017664:Uncompensated Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States