Toothaches shouldn’t be treated in EDs

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-09-15 00:01

New Zealand

PHOTO: Piron Guillaume/Unsplash

People are showing up to emergency departments to treat their toothaches, dental abscesses, and other non-traumatic dental problems. Researchers found there were more than 900 of these non-traumatic cases presenting in Christchurch Hospital in 2020, most of which were of low severity and managed by non-dentally trained staff. They say EDs aren’t the right place to manage these issues because patients might not get optimal care there, which in turn may contribute to increased healthcare costs, blocking access for time-critical patients, and inappropriate prescribing of opioids and antibiotics. Failings in primary healthcare services must be addressed to enable routine and urgent dental care, they write.

Media release

From: Pasifika Medical Association Group

New Zealand emergency departments continue to be utilised for dental conditions such as toothache or dental abscesses. Young adults, Māori, Pacific Peoples and those living in high deprivation areas are over-represented. These patients receive non-optimal care in the emergency department as they are ill-equipped and staffed by non-dentally trained health professionals. Treating these dental conditions in emergency departments may contribute to increased healthcare costs, overcrowding, unnecessary radiation exposure and inappropriate prescribing of opioids and antibiotics.

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Otago, Te Whatu Ora Waitaha, Christchurch

Funder: n/a

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