J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg.  2011 Dec;37(6):439-447. 10.5125/jkaoms.2011.37.6.439.

A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room

• Jang CS
• Lee CY
• Kim JW
• Yim JH
• Kim JY
• Kim YH
• Yang BE

• KMID: 2136979
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5125/jkaoms.2011.37.6.439

Abstract

INTRODUCTION
In today's society, the rapid and appropriate care of the dental emergency patients is much more important. So, a retrospective study on the characteristics of emergency dental injuries and diseases will be very meaningful.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This retrospective clinical study was carried by reviewing the radiographic films and emergency chart of 11,493 patients who had visited the emergency room of Hallym Sacred heart Hospital and were treated in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from January 2006 to December 2010.
RESULTS
The male to female ratio was 1.9:1. The highest monthly incidence was observed in May (10.4%) and June (8.9%) and the peak age distribution was the first decade (56.0%), followed by the second decade (16.0%). Trauma was the most common cause in dental emergency patients, followed in order by toothache, odontogenic infection, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder and oral hemorrhage. Soft tissue injury was most prevalent in the trauma group, followed by tooth injury and facial bone fractures. In the tooth injury group, tooth fracture (56.7%) showed the highest incidence followed in order by tooth subluxation (18.2%), tooth concussion (16.9%), tooth avulsion (11.5%) and alveolar bone fractures (3.7%). In the facial bone fracture group, mandibular fractures (81.8%) showed the highest incidence followed in order by maxilla fractures (15.7%), nasal bone fractures (9.0%), zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures (5.4%), orbital bone fractures (2.5%). In mandibular bone fractures, the most common location was the symphysis (70.1%), followed in order by the mandibular angle (33.0%), mandibular condyle (22.8%) and mandibular body (13.6%). In the infection group, a submandibular space abscess (46.2%) was most common followed in order by a buccal space abscess (17.4%), canine space abscess (16.9%) and submental space abscess (12.3%). TMJ dislocation (89.3%) showed the highest incidence in the TMJ disorder group, followed by TMJ derangement (10.7%). In the other group, a range of specific symptoms due to post operation complications, trigeminal neuralgia, chemical burns and foreign body aspiration were reported.
CONCLUSION
For the rapid and appropriate care of the dental emergency patients, well-organized system should be presented in oral and maxillofacial surgery. And it is possible under analysis of pattern and the variation of the dental emergency patients.

Keyword

Maxillofacial Surgery; Mandibular Fractures; Tooth injuries

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Age Distribution
Burns, Chemical
Dislocations
Emergencies
Facial Bones
Female
Foreign Bodies
Fractures, Bone
Heart
Humans
Incidence
Male
Mandibular Condyle
Mandibular Fractures
Maxilla
Nasal Bone
Oral Hemorrhage
Orbit
Retrospective Studies
Soft Tissue Injuries
Surgery, Oral
Temporomandibular Joint
Temporomandibular Joint Disorders
Tooth
Tooth Avulsion
Tooth Fractures
Tooth Injuries
Toothache
Trigeminal Neuralgia
X-Ray Film

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Yearly distribution of total patients. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 2. Monthly distribution of total patients. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 3. Daily distribution of total patients. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 4. Distribution according to gender. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 5. Distribution according to age. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 6. Distribution according to visiting time. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 7. Casual distribution of traumatic injury. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 8. Distribution according to traumatic injury site. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 9. Distribution according to the type of soft tissue injury. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 10. Distribution of tooth injured type. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 11. Distribution of facial bone fracture site. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 12. Distribution of mandibular fracture. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 13. Distribution of infection site. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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  Fig. 14. Distribution of admission cause. Chang-Su Jang et al: A clinical study on the dental emergency patients visiting an University Hospital emergency room. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011

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