A three-year retrospective study of emergency visits at an oral health clinic in south-east Queensland

Background: There is little information available regarding dental emergencies for children in Australia. The aim of this study was to investigate the reasons for dental emergency cases which were treated at a public oral health clinic in a low socioeconomic district in south‐east Queensland. Methods: From a register kept at a public oral health clinic, we analysed the monthly number of emergency visits for children over a three‐year period (January 2008 to August 2010) with respect to numbers treated, reasons for presentation and types of treatment rendered. Results: During the period 2008–2010, there was a mean of 196 ± 86 cases presenting for emergency care each month. The proportions of the various types of emergencies remained fairly consistent over the three‐year period, with the majority presenting for caries related problems (74–75%), followed by trauma (8–9%), orthodontic treatment related (2–5%) and other reasons (16–11%). Between 8–11% of cases were preschool children who were added to the waitlist for treatment for caries under general anaesthesia at the public hospital. Conclusions: Trends in the past three years at a public oral health clinic in a low socioeconomic district in south‐east Queensland show that dental caries constitute nearly three‐quarters of all paediatric emergency appointments.