Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42321969›Full record

SynthesisCommunity dentistry and oral epidemiology2026

Preventable Dental Related Emergency Department Visits and Hospital Admissions: A Systematic Review of Economic Burden and Healthcare System Costs.

U M G Sanketha Francis, Jing Jie Lai, Ruvini M Hettiarachchi, Leah Hobbs, Anura Ariyawardana, J L P Chaminda, Haitham Tuffaha

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Community dentistry and oral epidemiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

U M G Sanketha FrancisCentre for the Business and Economics of Health, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8787-1455
Jing Jie LaiCentre for the Business and Economics of Health, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Ruvini M HettiarachchiCentre for the Business and Economics of Health, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Leah HobbsMetro South Oral Health Services, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Anura AriyawardanaMetro South Oral Health Services, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
J L P ChamindaAustralian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9151-6712
Haitham TuffahaCentre for the Business and Economics of Health, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo systematically evaluate the economic burden of preventable dental-related emergency department visits (PDEDV) and preventable dental-related hospital admissions (PDHA), identify reasons for these presentations, and synthesise recommendations to reduce avoidable utilisation.

methodsThis systematic review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive multiple database search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, EBSCOHOST, and Web of Science for studies reporting direct and/or indirect costs of PDEDV and PDHA in any age group, published in English from 2000 to March 2026. Three calibrated reviewers screened and critically appraised the identified studies. Data including patient characteristics, estimated charges/costs, reasons for PDEDV and PDHA, and recommendations to minimise the avoidable burden were extracted. Charges/costs were inflation-adjusted and standardised to 2024 US dollars.

resultsOf the 2600 total studies identified, 25 met the inclusion criteria. The majority were conducted in the United States and focused on direct medical costs. Uninsured individuals, public health insurance enrolees and residents of low-income areas were more likely to experience PDEDV. Mean charges per any PDEDV ranged from $409.73 to $2740.76. Mean charges per any PDHA ranged from $5234.46 to $62 298.25, while mean hospital costs ranged from $350.42 to $22 375.53. Dental caries was the commonest cause for PDEDV. Odontogenic infections were the costliest to manage, with mean charges of $2740.76 per PDEDV and $62 298.25 per PDHA. PDEDV and PDHA were primarily driven by financial barriers, socio-demographic disparities, limited access to routine dental care, and health workforce constraints. Proposed strategies focused on improving affordability and access to preventive dental care, enhancing oral health literacy, strengthening integration between medical and dental services, and expanding the dental workforce.

conclusionsPDEDV and PDHA, particularly those due to dental caries and odontogenic infections, impose a significant economic burden on healthcare systems, highlighting the need to reduce financial and access barriers to routine dental care for high-risk groups and priority conditions.

Indexed as

Cost of IllnessDental CareEmergency Room VisitsHealth Care CostsHospitalizationHumanscost and cost analysisdental diseaseseconomic burdenemergency departmentshospital admissions

Identifiers

PMID42321969
PMCPMC13428048

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.