An investigation of dental-related emergency department presentations and patient characteristics in Victoria, Australia.
- 1Deakin University
Abstract
ObjectiveDescribe the profile of consumers utilising Emergency Departments (ED) across Victorian hospitals for dental conditions between financial year 2018-19 to 2022-23.
MethodsDental conditions were grouped according to the diagnosis categories using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM). Presentations for non-dental conditions were classified as "Other". Dependent variables included age, sex, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) background, language other than English, interpreter required, remoteness, and socio-economic disadvantage according to the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD).
The primary outcome evaluated is the relative risk ratio (RRR) of having a hospital ED presentation for a dental condition compared to a non-dental condition and age-specific rates per 100,000 population. Multinomial logistic regression was performed following the backwards elimination method.
ResultsOver the years 2018-19 to 2022-23, 0.55% (n=44,382) of ED presentations across Victorian hospitals by Victorian residents were due to dental conditions. Patients aged 20-44 years have the highest RRR compared to other age groups for dental-related ED presentations. Patients experiencing social inequity in terms of demographic factors such as Aboriginal background, requiring an interpreter, not living in a major city and living in areas of greater disadvantage (IRSD) have statistically significant increased RRR for dental-related ED presentations.
ConclusionPatient characteristics were useful for identifying the relative risk of dental-related ED presentations between socio-economic and demographic groups to inform relevant public policy design focus on preventing dental-related ED.
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BibTeX
@misc{adam2026investigation,
title = {{An investigation of dental-related emergency department presentations and patient characteristics in Victoria, Australia.}},
author = {R. Adam and J. Nguyen and A. Keating and C. Lin and T. M. Nguyen},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.24.26363871},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.24.26363871v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - An investigation of dental-related emergency department presentations and patient characteristics in Victoria, Australia.
AU - R. Adam
AU - J. Nguyen
AU - A. Keating
AU - C. Lin
AU - T. M. Nguyen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.24.26363871
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.24.26363871v1
AB - ObjectiveDescribe the profile of consumers utilising Emergency Departments (ED) across Victorian hospitals for dental conditions between financial year 2018-19 to 2022-23. MethodsDental conditions were grouped according to the diagnosis categories using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM). Presentations for non-dental conditions were classified as "Other". Dependent variables included age, sex, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) background, language other than English, interpreter required, remoteness, and socio-economic disadvantage according to the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD). The primary outcome evaluated is the relative risk ratio (RRR) of having a hospital ED presentation for a dental condition compared to a non-dental condition and age-specific rates per 100,000 population. Multinomial logistic regression was performed following the backwards elimination method. ResultsOver the years 2018-19 to 2022-23, 0.55% (n=44,382) of ED presentations across Victorian hospitals by Victorian residents were due to dental conditions. Patients aged 20-44 years have the highest RRR compared to other age groups for dental-related ED presentations. Patients experiencing social inequity in terms of demographic factors such as Aboriginal background, requiring an interpreter, not living in a major city and living in areas of greater disadvantage (IRSD) have statistically significant increased RRR for dental-related ED presentations. ConclusionPatient characteristics were useful for identifying the relative risk of dental-related ED presentations between socio-economic and demographic groups to inform relevant public policy design focus on preventing dental-related ED.
ER -