title: Dental emergency rates at an expeditionary medical support facility supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to report the dental emergency rate and the distribution of cause of dental emergencies at an Expeditionary Medical Support +25 medical facility during a 6-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. A retrospective cohort analysis of 1,972 soldiers stationed at Seeb Air Base, Sultanate of Oman, was accomplished from a phased deployment from March to September 2002. Procedures were divided into 11 categories: endodontic, extraction of teeth other than third molars, extraction of third molar teeth, restoration of teeth (caries), restoration of broken teeth (not caries), orthodontic bracket/wire problem, sensitive teeth, temperomandibular pain, periodontal, oral pathology, and prosthodontic. One hundred thirty-five dental emergency visits were recorded, corresponding to a rate of 137 dental emergencies per 1,000 soldiers per year. Most of the emergencies (34.8%) were due to caries. Pain from third molars was the second most common reason for visiting the dental clinic (19.3%).
authors.affiliation: Lackland Air Force Base, TX 78236-5551, USA.
authors.forename: William Jackson
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Dunn
mesh_terms: D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004630:Emergencies / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006772:Hospitals, Military / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008885:Military Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009850:Oman; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States