Abstract
Aim: To investigate the changes in the pattern of new patient referral and treatment at a dental hospital emergency clinic since the introduction of the new dental contract in 1989.
Design: A prospective survey and review of clinical records.
Setting: The examination and emergency clinic at Cardiff Dental Hospital.
Subjects: 500 consecutive new patients attending the clinic in May/June in 1989, 1993, 1994 and 1995.
Main Outcome Measures: Numbers of referrals; source of referral; geographical distribution of patients; registration with general dental practitioners; type of dental disease; treatment received.
Results: New patient attendances increased by 56% since 1989. Referrals from family doctors and dentists decreased while self-referrals increased. Self-referral by patients not registered with family dentists increased by 56%. Extraction of teeth was the commonest form of treatment in all years and increased by 72%.
Conclusions: Numbers of patients attending for dental treatment at this setting increased substantially after 1989. Increasing numbers of these patients were inappropriately self-referred for treatment. Patients increasingly selected extraction of teeth as the primary treatment rather than restorative procedures. These changes appeared to be unrelated both to the severity of dental disease at presentation and to socio-economic status
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Thomas, D., Satterthwaite, J. & Shepherd, J. Trends in the referral and treatment of new patients at a free emergency dental clinic since 1989. Br Dent J 182, 11–14 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4809286
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4809286
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