Changes in the characteristics of dental emergencies under the influence of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a retrospective study

Abstract

Abstract Background Further understanding of the distribution and changing characteristics of dental diseases is of great significance for all dental emergency centers for strengthening the medical staff’s treatment knowledge abilities and effective use of emergency resources in the face of public health emergencies involving highly infectious respiratory diseases. Methods The medical records of 4158 dental emergency patients in 2019 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into pre-SARS-COV-2 group and SARS-COV-2 group according to time. The demographic data, date and time, diagnosis, and treatment methods of the two groups were statistically described, and the chi-squared test was used to analyze the differences. The medical records of 4158 dental emergency patients during the same period of two years in 2019 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into SARS-COV-2 pre-group and SARS-COV-2 group according to time. The demographic data, date and time, diagnosis and treatment methods of the two groups were statistically described, and the chi-square test was used to determine the differences. Results During the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, the number of dental emergency visits increased by 29.7%. During the pandemic, males (n = 286, 58.1%) were more likely to visit dental emergency centers for trauma than females (n = 206, 41.9%) (P < 0.05); females (n = 242, 60.8%) were more likely to visit dental emergency centers for acute gingivitis and acute pericoronitis than males (n = 156, 39.2%) (P < 0.05). A major change in diagnosis was related to acute pulpitis (K04.0) and acute apical periodontitis (K04.4), which increased by 9.2%; acute gingivitis (K05.0) and acute pericoronitis (K05.2) increased by 3.5%; open wound of the lip and oral cavity (S01.5) decreased by 17.9%; other conditions (non-emergency diseases) increased by 6.8%, compared with the pre-SARS-COV-2 period. Among the treatment modalities, during the pre-SARS-COV-2 period, 304 patients (17.7%) received a prescription for antibiotics and analgesics, and 1485 (86.5%) received a prescription for local treatment. During the SARS-COV-2 period, 958 (39.2%) received a prescription for antibiotics and analgesics, and 1636 (67.0%) received a prescription for local treatment. Conclusion SARS-COV-2 pandemic led to changes in the characteristics of dental emergency patients. Trauma, acute pulpitis, and acute periodontitis are the leading reasons patients refer to dental emergency centers. Dental emergency centers should optimize treatment procedures, optimize the staff, and reasonably allocate materials according to the changes to improve the on-site treatment capacity and provide adequate dental emergency care.