Review Article
Emergency Room Utilization for Dental Treatment: the Socioeconomic Impact of Utilizing Emergency Rooms to Treat Non-Traumatic Dental Issues
Online Professor, USA
Received Date: January 06, 2020; Published Date: January 30, 2020
Abstract
This paper reviews published articles that examine the impact of the utilization of hospital-based emergency room departments, in the United States (U.S.), to treat non-traumatic dental issues. Research has shown that oral health not only has an impact on one’s systemic health but also on quality of life and economic productivity [1-3]. Most dental conditions such as dental caries, pulpal lesions or periodontal conditions can be treated routinely in a private practice or a clinic-based setting. If left untreated, these conditions can develop into more serious conditions and could even result in death [4]. Studies have shown that the usage of emergency rooms (ERs) for non-traumatic dental care has continued to increase since 2001 [5-8]. Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased access to care for some populations, disparities remain.
