Dental emergencies at the emergency department: current practice, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration

Intensified collaboration between general practitioner surgeries and emergency departments has led to more efficient triage and patient flow. Emergency departments now focus on more complex cases, while dental emergencies do not primarily fall within their scope of care. This study explores the experiences of emergency department staff of the organization of emergency dental care. Although dental care primarily is a responsibility of primary care providers, emergency department staff are frequently confronted with dental issues. Of emergency departments 79% report having no collaboration with an on-call dentist. In cases of dental emergencies, 76% of emergency departments require patients to contact a dentist themselves. Case studies indicate that dental issues often are not immediately referred to a dentist, resulting in delay and unnecessary strain on healthcare services. Collaboration is necessary to improve the quality and efficiency of emergency care and for better integration of dental emergency care into the emergency care system.