215 - Oral Surgical Needs in a Pediatric Hospital Dental Clinic

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate and assess the oral surgery needs in a pediatric hospital dental clinic at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

Methods: Following IRB approval, appointments over a 6-month time period were reviewed and recorded when a referral was placed to an oral surgeon. The reason for referral, patient age and medical history were recorded and analyzed.

Results: Half of the patients needing oral and maxillofacial procedures were between the ages of 8-10 years old. There was an equal number of patients needing extractions due to carious/non-restorable teeth with and without special health care needs. Two-thirds of the patients were referred from an outside provider to Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Conclusion: Due to the oral surgery needs of patients that are seen in the Children’s Mercy dental clinic, it would be beneficial to the patient population to have an oral surgeon on staff. This would provide better access to care by eliminating barriers in the referral process and reducing time to treatment completion.