Recent reports have shown that in England there is a trend of increasing levels of hospitalisation for the surgical management of the most serious dental infections. Access to NHS dental services has become more difficult in recent times and this may be a contributing factor to this increase. There are no published data on the situation in Scotland which differs significantly from the rest of the UK in the provision of dental services. This study aims to identify trends in hospitalisation for surgical drainage of odontogenic infection by age, sex, geographical location, and socioeconomic deprivation. We also aim to describe the relationship between deprivation and registration with an NHS dentist in Scotland.
Methods:
Anonymised data were requested from NHS National Services Scotland Information Services Division, detailing hospitalisation for surgical drainage of the dental alveolus years 2001-2007 including demographic data on age, sex, geographic location and area-deprivation (via the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation). Using population data files relative risk ratios by age, sex, geographic location and deprivation were calculated using a multivariate model. NHS dental registration rates were also analysed using the same denominators.
Results:
There were 876 cases of hospitalization for surgical drainage of serious dental infections in Scotland between 2001 and 2007. Deprivation was clearly associated with hospitalization with those individuals in the most deprived category most at risk (Relative Risk 3.25 95% CI 2.55,4.53). Rate of registration with a NHS dentist was lowest in deprived groups. Young adults were most at risk and there were also differences in geographic location. There was a weak trend of an increase in prevalence over this period.
Conclusions:
Hospitalisation for the surgical treatment of dental infections is related to socioeconomic deptivation. This may be due to poor access to or uptake of NHS dental services in this group.