Oral emergencies at Strasbourg teaching hospitals during the COVID-19 lockdown: Patient care circuits, typologies, and profiles

Purpose of research: We aimed to describe the type of emergencies as well as the population treated for oral emergencies at the Pole de Medecine et Chirurgie Bucco-Dentaires (Dental Medicine and Surgery Center) of Strasbourg during the COVID-19 lockdown period from March 17 to May 9, 2020. Information on patient care circuits as well as the demographic and clinical data concerning all those who accessed the Center during the study period were collected by questionnaire and from medical files. Pain was rated on a numerical scale from 0 to 10. Diagnoses and treatments provided were divided into clinically relevant classes. During the forty-two days of activity, 2,470 patients were seen and 94.2 percent of them were treated. A constant increase in activity, almost doubling between the beginning and the end of the period, was observed. Pain with an intensity greater than or equal to 5 on the scale was reported by 77.9 percent of patients; pain greater than or equal to 7 by 52.5 percent of patients. Coordination between the various general practice and hospital organizations is necessary to deal with oral emergencies, considering the high number of patients concerned and the associated pain level. This coordination was particularly effective during the COVID-19 lockdown, which led to a massive and constantly increasing recourse to emergency dental care. We were able to describe and detail the consultations for oral emergencies and confirm that the intense associated pain did not allow treatment to be postponed.