177 - Pediatric Dental Emergencies Observed at Denver Health Hospital Association

Purpose: This study evaluated the association between length of time between initial diagnosis of dental caries for operating room treatment and emergency department visits with a chief complaint related to untreated dental caries among pediatric patients ages 0-14 at Denver Health Hospital.

Methods: An electronic search of charts was conducted for patients from 2019-2022 who were deemed appropriate for full mouth rehabilitation under general anesthesia (GA) and placed on a waiting list and who returned to Denver Health for a dental-related emergency visit prior to their general anesthesia appointment. A regression model was used to determine the relationship between length of waiting time and emergency visits.

Results: Two hundred-seven patient charts met the inclusion criteria. Analysis of the regression concluded that there is no association between the variables (R2 =0.007, P = .247).

Conclusions: There was no association between dental-related emergency visits and length of waiting time for GA appointments in the years 2019-2022 at Denver Health Hospital. Emergency dental treatment provided at Denver Health Pediatric Emergency Room is significantly more costly than similar dental treatment provided at the Denver Health Pediatric Dental Clinic. An emergency room is an extremely costly choice for nondefinitive dental care. Additional research is needed to determine if longer waiting times at Denver Health can be correlated with more significant and costly treatment provided in the OR setting.