60 - Trends in Pediatric Non-traumatic Dental Conditions at Emergency Departments in Colorado

Purpose: Dental-related emergency department (ED) visits for non-traumatic dental conditions (NTDCs) were reported nationally and internationally. This project was the first one to examine the current trends around ED visits for NTDCs in Colorado.

Methods: Dental claims data from 2018 to 2022 was analyzed for ages 0-17 years. The charge amount was used as outcome and variables assessed were dentition (primary, mixed, or permanent), service year, Medicaid status, provider type (dentist, not reported, or non-dental provider), type of living (urban, rural, or frontier), and an interactive effect of race/ethnicity and type of living. Generalized linear models were used to estimate the association between predictors and charged amounts. Backwards selection was used with the final model including only significantly associated variables.

Results: A total of 2029 dental claims were analyzed, and the mean charged amount was 789 USD. The majority of the children visiting ED for NTDCs were in the age group 6-13 years with charged higher amounts for the visit in urban hospitals and for non-dental providers. The charged amount for the visit was 1.2 times higher for children with mixed dentition compared for children with primary dentition (P <0.01;95%CI:1.06-1.36); 36% lower for the combined rural and frontier living compared with urban living (P= <.0001;model estimate=.64,95%CI:.54-.75); 71% lower for dental providers compared with non-dental providers (P=.0002;model estimate=.29,95%CI:.15-.55).

Conclusions: Cost differences in ED visits based on urbanality and provider type indicate that certain locations are affected by high ED utilization rates and provider-specific costs, which can be the target of interventions.