Nationwide cost of emergency department visits made by Individuals with Special Health Care Needs for dental problems

Background: There is limited knowledge of hospital-based emergency department visits due to dental problems in the United States. Currently, there is no study describing the same in Individuals with Special Health Care Needs (ISHCN) using a nationwide database. The objective of this study is to describe nationwide estimates of hospital-based emergency department (ED) visits made by ISHCN attributable to mouth cellulitis/abscess, pulpal and periapical lesions, gingival and periodontal lesions and dental caries.

Methods: The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) was used for this study and all emergency department visits made by ISHCN attributable to mouth cellulitis/abscess, pulpal and periapical lesions, gingival and periodontal lesions and dental caries were identified using ICD-9-CM diagnoses codes. NEDS is a component of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project which is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Simple descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data.

Results: The current study shows that in 2008, a total of over $55 million in hospital charges was accrued by ISHCN who presented to hospital-based emergency departments with dental caries, mouth cellulitis/abscess, pulpal, periapical, gingival and periodontal lesions from a total of 72,359 ED visits.

Conclusion: The mean cost of an ED visit made by ISHCN for pulpal and periapical lesions, gingival and periodontal lesions and dental caries was more than double the cost for the general population to make the same visit. Therefore, innovative programs and funding that help ISHCN seek care in a dental office could prevent large ED costs to manage the same.