Methods: Analysis of individual episode data obtained from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) stratified by gender and by socio-economic status of patients using quintiles of the index of multiple deprivation (IMD) covering the period from 1 April 1997 to 30 March 2006.
Results: Of 8,896 admissions over the nine year period, the procedure was carried out slightly more commonly for males (56.2%) than females. The prevalence peaked among the 25-29 year old age group in both genders. NHS resource use showed a strong and widening socio-economic gradient in terms of the numbers of bed-days utilised along with a substantial overall increase over time. During the 2005-06 financial year the ‘cost' to the NHS was 3,433 bed-days. People living in the most deprived areas according to quintiles of the IMD accounted for 41.6% of the total bed-days for this year which was 4.5 times the amount of the most affluent quintile. The proportions of cases that were emergency admissions were high and rose steadily from 79% in 1997-98 to 91% in 2005-06.
Conclusion: The numbers of NHS bed-days required to manage patients undergoing surgical drainage of a dental abscess have increased over the nine year period. Substantial socio-economic inequalities exist and appear to be worsening. The results, particularly the increasingly high numbers of emergency admissions, are indicative of increasing numbers of people not accessing appropriate oral health care provision in a timely manner.