Analysis of Adult Users of Emergency Departments Visits for Primary Dental Related Complaints in the United States in 2015AW

Objectives: Using nationally representative data, the researchers examined the differences in dental care utilization in Hospital-Based Ambulatory Care Services working age adults associated by lack of insurance, and other co-variates. Methods: The researcher used data from the 2015 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (19-65 years age; N= 12,956 unweighted observations). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association with dental insurance coverage and other covariates. Results: In 2015, There were an estimated 83 million ED visits among working adults ages 19-64 in the United States. Dental related complaints accounted for between 0.1 and 0.5 percent of all visits, depending on patient characteristics. Dental visits were significantly more likely among patients with self-paying or with government insurance relative to the privately insured. Conclusion: Medicaid and Self pay adults had significant higher odds of making dental emergency visits. The limited scope of dental treatment in the ED, coupled with poor availability of safety-net dental resources, may result in dental exacerbations. The engagement of safety-net dental service accessibility is crucial to reducing dental ED visits and improving dental health, particularly among low-income, self-pay populations.