Abstract
Objective To account for the total time spent by professional care-givers (direct time) and by patients and companions as support and help (indirect time) to treat and otherwise attend to children and adolescents with dental trauma
Design Cohort Study using a random sample of patients suffering dental trauma during period July 1992 to March 1993.
Intervention The following information was recorded: sex, age, place of residence and injury, date and time of injury, diagnoses, injury mechanism and description of treatment. Patients were followed prospectively for 2 years direct and indirect time spent in connection with treatment was recorded. Patients and/or parents were interviewed on average four times, using a structured question list. Random samples of the notes were tested for validation.
Outcome measures A wide range of outcome measures were assessed, e.g. transport time, waiting time, treatment time, nursing time in hospital and home, other time and total time by geographic, demographic and dental injury parameters.
Results Complicated trauma had a major impact on all time variables; 6% of primary tooth trauma and 19% of permanent tooth trauma sought attention outside working hours, with 38% occurring in day-care or school environment. Transport time was the largest element of indirect time.
Conclusion This study shows that direct time alone is an insufficient measure of resources spent on dental trauma and that parameters such as degree of severity, place of injury and access to treatment are of major importance with respect to total time spent.
Glendor U, Halling A, Bodin L, Andersson L, Nygren A, Karlsson G, Koucheki B. Direct and indirect time spent on care of dental trauma: a 2-year prospective study of children and adolescents. Endod Dent Traumatol 2000; 16:16–23
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Supported by FOLKSAM Insurance Company and Ostergotland County Council
Address for reprints: Ulf Glendor, Unit of Community Dentistry, Centre for Public Heath Services SE-581 85 Linkoping. Sweden. E-mail: ulf.glendor@telia.com
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Deery, C. Treatment time alone is insufficient to assess societal cost of dental trauma. Evid Based Dent 2, 40 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ebd.6400027
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ebd.6400027