Ten-year trend of dental emergency visits in China: A cross-sectional study

Ten-year trend of dental emergency visits in China: A cross-sectional study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Ten-year trend of dental emergency visits in China: A cross-sectional study Kexuan Li, Ziqi Chen, Lin Zhang, Xi Yang, Yining He, Rong Du, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6492631/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Oral Health → Version 1 posted 15 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: The demand for dental emergency services has increased in recent years, creating an imbalance between the supply and demand of dental emergency services. To investigate the current status of dental emergency resources and to provide insights for optimizing emergency service allocation, this study examined the characteristics of visits in the biggest dental emergency center in China. Materials and methods: Retrospective study was adopted. The data included 396,383 dental emergency visits across all age groups at Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine from 2011 to 2020. Medical records providing age, gender, time, day and disease types were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 206,006 male and 190,377 female patients were included, resulting in a sex ratio of 1.082:1. The most common age group was 19–39 years (35.25%), with infections and swelling being the most frequent emergencies (36.12%). Trauma was more prevalent in males (61.3%), while temporomandibular joint diseases were more common in females (61.5%). The peak time period for significant differences was observed in patient numbers during the Chinese National Day Holiday compared to other holidays (p = 0.002), with similar trends noted for the Chinese Spring Festival (p = 0.049). Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive overview of dental emergency visits in China’s largest center and highlights a substantial increase in cases during holidays, particularly the National Day Holiday. These findings offer evidence for optimizing emergency services allocation, including strategic dentist scheduling during peak periods. dental emergency public health big data trauma infection health services planning Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Introduction Dental emergency services are a critical component of the oral healthcare system, primarily addressing a wide range of acute oral conditions and injuries. With the advancement of the economy and the growing public awareness of oral health, the volume of dental emergency visits has risen annually, placing greater demands on resources allocation and the workload of emergency practitioners. Research have shown that various factors, including patient age, gender, time of visit, and disease type, paly significant roles in shaping the patterns of dental emergency visits( 1 ). Efficient allocation of clinical resources is essential for ensuring the seamless operation of dental emergency services while delivering substantial benefits to both hospital management and patient care. Research indicates that optimized resource allocation enhances care quality, reduces patient waiting times, and improves overall satisfaction, all while alleviating operational costs for healthcare facilities( 2 ). These improvements are particularly vital in high-demand settings, where resource mismanagement can lead to service bottlenecks, compromised patient outcomes, and diminished institutional efficiency. Therefore, a systematic analysis of dental emergency data not only aids in understanding patient visit characteristics and addressing their chief complaints more effectively but also provides important insights for hospital management and the optimization of emergency services. The [Institution name hidden], handles a significant volume of dental emergencies in Shanghai and even the Yangtze River Delta region, with nearly 400,000 dental emergency visits recorded over the past decade. The results provide critical insights that can guide improvements in the quality of dental emergency care and support more efficient medical resource allocation. Materials and Methods A total of 396,384 dental emergency visits recorded at the Department of General Dentistry, [Institution name hidden], between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2020, were included in this study. This study conforms to STROBE Guidelines. Inclusion criteria were as follows: ( 1 ) visits occurring between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2020; ( 2 ) treatment provided in the Department of General Dentistry; and ( 3 ) cases with a definitive diagnosis documented by the attending emergency dentist. Exclusion criteria were: ( 1 ) incomplete clinical records and ( 2 ) unclear or missing diagnoses. Patients Demographics: Emergency patients from Department of General Dentistry, [Institution name hidden] from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2020 were enrolled. The data were categorized and summarized based on patient demographics, visit times, and disease classifications, allowing for a better understanding of the characteristics of dental emergency patients. Age and gender. The patients are divided into 6 groups according to ages. We divided adults into 4 groups: 19 ~ 39, 40 ~ 59, 60 ~ 79, 80 and above, and divided minors into two groups according to preschool and school age: 0 ~ 6, 7 ~ 18. Day of Visit: According to official holidays and day of the week, the day was divided into three groups (holidays, weekends and weekdays) and a further two subgroups (long-term holidays and others) . Disease types: Disease types were divided into 9 groups based on patients’ chief complaints and diagnosis: hemorrhage, infection and swollen, trauma, toothache, temporomandibular joint disease, oral mucosal disease, salivary gland disease, periodontal disease and else. Statistical Analysis: R Studio (Version 3.5.2, Posit, PBC, Boston, MA, USA) and SPSS software (Version 26.0, IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA) were used for statistical analysis. The medical records containing age, gender, time, day and diagnosis and other information, were recorded and analyzed. Statistical quantitative analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp, Redmond, WA, USA) formulas. Percentages are used to express the distribution of study variables. Results Patients Demographics: The patients were 206006 male and 190377 female. The sex ratio was 1.082:1. The commonest age group was of 19–39 years, including 139714 (35.25%) patients, followed by 40–59 years, including 95038 (23.98%) patients, and 60–79 years, including 77268 (19.49%) patients. Based on disease types, majority of the emergencies were due to infection and swollen (143178 patients, 36.12%), followed by toothache (89825 patients, 22.66%), and trauma (81776 patients, 20.63%). (Table 1 ) Table 1 Demographic data of patients with dental emergencies (N = 396383). N % Gender Female 190377 48.03 Male 206006 51.97 Age 0–6 years 8235 2.08 7–18 years 62489 15.76 19–39 years 139714 35.25 40–59 years 95038 23.98 60–79 years 77268 19.49 80 years and above 13639 3.44 The time of the visit 0:00–07:59 56304 14.20 08:00–17:59 138825 35.02 18:00–23:59 201254 50.77 The day of the visit Holidays 49468 12.48 Long-term Holidays Spring Festival 11338 2.86 National Day Holiday 14532 3.67 Others New Year's Day 4349 1.10 Tomb Sweeping Day 4753 1.20 Labor Day 5692 1.44 Dragon Boat Festival 5279 1.33 Mid-Autumn Festival* 3525 0.89 Weekends 123263 31.10 Workdays 223652 56.42 Disease Types Hemorrhage 16331 4.12 Infection and Swollen 143178 36.12 Trauma 81776 20.63 Toothache 89825 22.66 Temporomandibular Joint Diseases 5859 1.48 Oral Mucosal Diseases 6044 1.52 Salivary Gland Diseases 2299 0.58 Periodontal Diseases 13436 3.39 Else 37635 9.49 Total 396383 100 * The years 2012, 2017, and 2020 have been excluded from the analysis, as the Mid- Autumn Festival and National Day Holiday coincided during these years, resulting in a combined total of 8 consecutive days off. Genders Distribution of Visits: No significant difference was found between the two genders of the total visits during the ten years. In the different composition of the disease types, trauma was more common in male (50096, 61.3%), and the temporomandibular joint disease was found more in female (3602, 61.5%). Among the different age groups, the majority of patients under 18 were male (43123, 61.0%), and 56.8% patients over 80 were female. (Appendix Fig. 1) Age Group Trends: There was an overall upward trend in the number of visits for different age groups during the ten years, but a significant decrease was found in the number of visits of the 7–18 age group in 2017, which may be due to the opening of craniomaxillofacial specialist emergency department in [Institution name hidden] in 2017 to receive trauma and other patients. (Fig. 1 ). Temporal Trends: The number of visits at different time also showed a steady upward trend during the ten years, and the number of visits in the 18:00–23:59 group also decreased significantly in 2017, which may still be related to the opening of craniomaxillofacial specialist emergency departments. (Appendix Fig. 2) Holiday Trends: In the 7-day and more long holidays, there were significant differences between the number of patients during the National Day holiday and holidays except National Day Holiday (p = 0.002), and also between the National Day Holiday and days except National Day Holiday (p = 0.002)(Fig. 2 ). The Spring Festival and the National Day Holiday are similar, significant differences could be found between Spring Festival and holidays except Spring Festival (p = 0.049), and between Spring Festival and days except Spring Festival (p = 0.004)(Fig. 3 ). The number of visits between the National Day Holiday and Spring Festival were also different, significant difference could be observed with a p-value of 0.002 (Fig. 4 ). Disease Composition: There was a noticeable upward trend in the total number of visits from 2011 to 2020, with peaks observed in 2016 and 2019 caused by the opening of craniomaxillofacial specialist emergency departments. The number of patients with infection and swelling, as well as hemorrhage, has increased year by year, highlighting their significance in the composition of emergency diseases. Conversely, the number of trauma patients saw a significant decline in 2017, which is closely related to the diversion of craniofacial emergencies (Appendix Fig. 3). Discussion This study demonstrates a gradual increase in the total number of DE visits over the past decade, correlating with the rising permanent population of Shanghai and an increased awareness of oral health issues. Notably, there were significant declines in 2017 and 2020, closely linked to the establishment of a craniomaxillofacial emergency department at [Institution name hidden] and the global pandemic. The craniomaxillofacial emergency department primarily treats patients with facial and neck injuries, thereby reducing the burden on dental emergency services, particularly during evening hours. The age group with the highest number of DE visits was 19–39 years, accounting for 35.25%. This finding aligns with the report by Kim et al. from South Korea, which identified the two leading age groups as 20–29 and 30–39 years( 3 ). Also, Verma et al. Showed that the peak age of patients with dental presentations was the 26–30 years group( 4 ). This trend may be related to the prevalence of caries and pericoronitis in this demographic( 5 ), which also has a higher proportion of females (53.1%), possibly due to hormonal changes during pregnancy that predispose them to oral diseases( 6 ). Patients aged 19–39 often have limited opportunities to seek dental care during working hours. In the total number of visits, males constituted a larger proportion (52.0%), which is consistent with other research findings( 7 , 8 ). Among minors (ages 0–6 and 7–18), males constituted over 61.0%, with trauma accounting for 58.3%, likely reflecting gender-related behavioral differences in contact sports and adventure activities( 9 ). The peak time for emergency visits was between 18:00 and 23:59, representing 50.77% of total visits, which coincides with the closure of outpatient services during this period. The average peak visit time throughout the year was from 19:00 to 23:00, while visits were minimal between 04:00 and 07:00. Huang et al. noted that the peak visit times in Taiwan were from 22:00 to 24:00, with a low point from 04:00 to 07:00, which aligns with our findings( 10 ). During holidays, the peak visit time shifted to 09:00–11:00, likely due to the closure of outpatient services throughout the day, leading the public to seek emergency care after waking. In 2017, there was a significant decline in patient visits during the 18:00–23:59 time slot. This decrease can be attributed to the establishment of the craniomaxillofacial emergency department, which diverted patients presenting with trauma. A substantial portion of these trauma patients (47.68%) sought care during the 18:00–23:59 period. Hospital management should consider increasing staff during nighttime and holiday hours to better accommodate peak emergency demand. In our study, the leading causes of dental emergency (DE) visits were infections and swelling (36.12%), trauma (20.63%), and toothache (22.66%), while hemorrhage, temporomandibular joint disease, oral mucosal disease, salivary gland disease, and periodontal disease collectively accounted for 11.09%. Research by Bae et al. indicated that up to 66% of DE patients in South Korea presented with dental trauma( 11 ). In Taiwan, Huang et al. showed that 22.2% of DE cases were due to trauma( 10 ), which is the second most common disease type in our study. The relatively lower proportion of trauma cases may be attributed to the establishment of a craniomaxillofacial emergency department at the study site. Notably, optimizing the scheduling system to increase the proportion of trauma-trained clinicians could further enhance care delivery, ensuring the timely and specialized management of such injuries. Infections and swelling, as the most prevalent disease type, are associated not only with postoperative complications from various dental procedures, such as tooth extractions or implants, but also with prolonged appointment intervals for oral treatments. Some patients with pulpits, apical periodontitis, and pericoronitis have experienced swelling in the oral and maxillofacial regions due to delays in receiving timely and comprehensive care( 12 ). The results indicate a significant increase in visit volume during holidays compared to weekdays (p < 0.05), particularly during extended holidays such as the National Day (p = 0.002) and Spring Festival (p = 0.004). Significant differences were also observed between the National Day and Spring Festival (p = 0.002) and between the National Day and other holidays (p = 0.002). The disparity between these two holidays may be influenced by traditional Chinese cultural practices, where the public tends to complete dental check-ups and treatments before the Spring Festival to avoid seeking care during the holiday. The seven-day National Day holiday may provide working individuals with an opportunity to address oral health issues, thereby increasing their willingness to seek care during this period. Conclusion The results of this study offer valuable insights into the patterns of dental emergency visits in Shanghai's largest dental emergency center, highlighting peak visit times, seasonal trends, and the distribution of disease types. The findings emphasize the importance of optimizing resource allocation, particularly during peak hours and holidays, to enhance the overall quality and efficiency of dental emergency services. Continued attention to resource management and patient care protocols is crucial to meet the growing demand for dental emergency services. It is evident that the limitations of this study lie in its reliance on singular diagnostic data without recording subsequent treatment measures and the lack of consideration for broader demographic or social and environmental factors. Future research will incorporate more extensive datasets to gather additional evidence on dental emergency visit patterns. Furthermore, artificial intelligence( 13 ) or remote triage systems( 14 ) will be introduced to support management decision-making and optimize resource allocation in dental emergency services. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (Approval No.: SH9H-2025-T214-2). The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was waived by the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Ethics Committee, as the study used anonymized retrospective data. Consent for publication Not applicable. Availability of data and materials The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Mendeley Data repository: Li, Kexuan (2025), “Ten-Year Cross-Sectional Study Data”, Mendeley Data, V2, https://doi.org/10.17632/zmz2nv7hw8.2 Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Funding Not applicable. Authors' contributions KL and ZC contributed to conception, design, statistical analysis, and drafted and critically revised the manuscript. LZ contributed to conception, design, data analysis, and critically revised the manuscript. XY and LS contributed to conception, design, and critically revised the manuscript. YH contributed to data analysis and critically revised the manuscript. YZ contributed to data acquisition and interpretation, and critically revised the manuscript. YT contributed to conception, design, data acquisition and interpretation, and critically revised the manuscript. All authors gave their final approval and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Acknowledgements Not applicable. References Lee HH, Lewis CW, Saltzman B, Starks H. Visiting the emergency department for dental problems: trends in utilization, 2001 to 2008. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(11):e77–83. Ahsan KB, Alam MR, Morel DG, Karim MA. Emergency department resource optimisation for improved performance: a review. J Industrial Eng Int. 2019;15(S1):253–66. Kim C, Choi E, Park KM, Kwak EJ, Huh J, Park W. Characteristics of patients who visit the dental emergency room in a dental college hospital. J Dent Anesth Pain Med. 2019;19(1):21–7. Verma S, Chambers I. Dental emergencies presenting to a general hospital emergency department in Hobart, Australia. Aust Dent J. 2014;59(3):329–33. Du R, Ba K, Yang Y, Zhao Y, Lin Y. Efficacy of ornidazole for pericoronitis: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Arch Med Sci. 2024;20(1):189–95. Jang H, Patoine A, Wu TT, Castillo DA, Xiao J. Oral microflora and pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):16870. Currie CC, Stone SJ, Connolly J, Durham J. Dental pain in the medical emergency department: a cross-sectional study. J Oral Rehabil. 2017;44(2):105–11. Bassey O, Csikar J, Hallam J, Sandoe J, Thompson W, Douglas G. Non-traumatic dental presentations at accident and emergency departments in the UK: a systematic review. Br Dent J. 2020;228(3):171–6. Tewari N, Bansal K, Mathur VP. Dental Trauma in Children: A Quick Overview on Management. Indian J Pediatr. 2019;86(11):1043–7. Huang CL, Yeh IJ, Lin YC, Chiu CF, Du JK. Analysis of adult dental emergencies at a medical center in southern Taiwan. J Dent Sci. 2022;17(3):1314–20. Bae JH, Kim YK, Choi YH. Clinical characteristics of dental emergencies and prevalence of dental trauma at a university hospital emergency center in Korea. Dent Traumatol. 2011;27(5):374–8. Guo H, Zhou Y, Liu X, Tan J. The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the utilization of emergency dental services. J Dent Sci. 2020;15(4):564–7. Frichembruder K, Mello Dos Santos C, Neves Hugo F. Dental emergency: Scoping review. PLoS ONE. 2020;15(2):e0222248. Fiehn R, Okunev I, Bayham M, Barefoot S, Tranby EP. Emergency and urgent dental visits among Medicaid enrollees from 2013 to 2017. BMC Oral Health. 2020;20(1):355. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryMaterial.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Oral Health → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 07 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 03 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 30 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 26 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 21 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 11 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 11 Jun, 2025 Editor invited by journal 02 Jun, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 31 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 31 May, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6492631","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":471156248,"identity":"4cf17e0e-1e46-4273-8e11-aae1d3b1ebad","order_by":0,"name":"Kexuan Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kexuan","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":471156249,"identity":"4fecfef9-19b8-4496-82e4-e3031cfbb67d","order_by":1,"name":"Ziqi Chen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ziqi","middleName":"","lastName":"Chen","suffix":""},{"id":471156250,"identity":"6bafc281-4740-4683-b29e-ebb2594128f1","order_by":2,"name":"Lin Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Jiao Tong University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lin","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":471156251,"identity":"8b49d154-7578-438c-8658-67494f131f61","order_by":3,"name":"Xi Yang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xi","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""},{"id":471156252,"identity":"ed41ff47-5e7d-4089-b785-12173510ef87","order_by":4,"name":"Yining He","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yining","middleName":"","lastName":"He","suffix":""},{"id":471156256,"identity":"4a8bd33d-ac59-45a3-bf2c-65e962189069","order_by":5,"name":"Rong Du","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rong","middleName":"","lastName":"Du","suffix":""},{"id":471156257,"identity":"60901cd8-1c4a-4cf1-a42a-36c7be30eb7f","order_by":6,"name":"YanYi Tang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA0ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLCCj38k5NjYGxsffCBGNQ8QM85ssDDm4zncbDiDWC3MvA0VifMk0tukOYjRYi+RY8A4c4cEY5vkwwZpBgY7Od0GQrYAtTB8PCPBzCad2GBcwJBsbHaACC2MM9gk2EBakmcwHEjcRowWZh42CR42yYMNh3mI1sLbJiHBJsHY2EycljPPChhnnJEwYONJbGacYUCEX9jbkzcwfKioq5/ffvz5jw8VdnIEtTAIZJj/QPAMCCkHAf7jD4hRNgpGwSgYBSMZAABuIj2e/G4OFwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"YanYi","middleName":"","lastName":"Tang","suffix":""},{"id":471156260,"identity":"4f93e841-a814-4d79-ab5a-3eb831317d2a","order_by":7,"name":"Linjun Shi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Linjun","middleName":"","lastName":"Shi","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-21 05:38:07","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6492631/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6492631/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-07219-0","type":"published","date":"2025-11-24T15:58:46+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":84817874,"identity":"210a0c78-8ba6-461e-92f5-962eb2b1c106","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-17 15:51:48","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1022202,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVisits in Different Age Groups during ten years. The line chart illustrates the annual number of dental emergency visits stratified by age groups over the study period. The age group 19–39 years consistently accounted for the highest number of visits, peaking in 2019 before a decline in 2020. The 40–59 and 60–79 age groups followed similar patterns of steady increases until 2019. Visits among children aged 0–6 years and adults aged 80 years and above remained relatively low but stable throughout the study period. A notable decrease across all age groups is observed in 2020, likely attributable to disruptions caused by external factors during that year.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6492631/v1/c76091335c6c94a23dc47816.jpg"},{"id":84819472,"identity":"70a224f1-0955-4a85-8fc2-b2f1bec758bb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-17 15:59:48","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1060348,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVisits of National Day Holiday and other days during ten years. The line chart illustrates the average number of dental emergency visits per 7 days during three distinct time periods: National Day Holidays (blue), holidays excluding National Day Holidays (orange), and non-holiday periods (yellow). Visits during the National Day Holidays consistently outnumbered those during other holidays and non-holiday periods, peaking in 2019 before a sharp decline in 2020. Visits during other holidays were stable from 2014 to 2019 but also decreased in 2020. Non-holiday visits showed a gradual increase until 2019, followed by a slight drop in 2020. The 2020 declines across all categories may reflect the impact of external disruptions during that year.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6492631/v1/4804880f9d44b3a1ea369e06.jpg"},{"id":84819470,"identity":"3565ce25-77aa-4880-8005-b490f456419e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-17 15:59:48","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1059957,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVisits of Spring Festival and other days during ten years. The line chart compares the average number of dental emergency visits per 7 days during the Spring Festival (blue), other holidays excluding the Spring Festival (orange), and non-holiday periods (yellow). Visits during other holidays and the Spring Festival showed similar trends, with peaks observed between 2014 and 2019. The number of visits during non-holiday periods steadily increased until 2019 but remained consistently lower than holiday periods. A marked decline is evident across all categories in 2020, potentially reflecting external factors impacting healthcare access and patient behavior during that year.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6492631/v1/1b7fd1e28017c091888d785d.jpg"},{"id":84820332,"identity":"57eb52ea-92f8-4e0c-a20f-01a01714bf36","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-17 16:07:48","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":941981,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVisits of National Day Holiday and Spring Festival during ten years. The line chart illustrates the average number of dental emergency visits per 7 days during the National Day Holidays (blue) and the Spring Festival (orange). Visits during the National Day Holidays consistently outnumbered those during the Spring Festival across the ten-year period. Both holidays saw a steady increase in visits from 2011 to 2015, with peaks observed in 2015 for the Spring Festival and in 2019 for the National Day Holidays. A significant decline is noted in 2020 for both holidays, potentially reflecting external disruptions during that year.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6492631/v1/c9eca710e62d3738ce6c40d5.jpg"},{"id":97179245,"identity":"87802556-4691-428d-b642-3d8c0dd61e87","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-01 16:14:21","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":4504962,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6492631/v1/ff811018-1169-46ec-a5f5-77c8731751bb.pdf"},{"id":84819476,"identity":"1b49fa4d-72a5-4f86-bcbf-ccddb763ee7e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-17 15:59:49","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":130353,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryMaterial.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6492631/v1/763b084e68c2e9c7e05a2f35.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Ten-year trend of dental emergency visits in China: A cross-sectional study","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eDental emergency services are a critical component of the oral healthcare system, primarily addressing a wide range of acute oral conditions and injuries. With the advancement of the economy and the growing public awareness of oral health, the volume of dental emergency visits has risen annually, placing greater demands on resources allocation and the workload of emergency practitioners. Research have shown that various factors, including patient age, gender, time of visit, and disease type, paly significant roles in shaping the patterns of dental emergency visits(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEfficient allocation of clinical resources is essential for ensuring the seamless operation of dental emergency services while delivering substantial benefits to both hospital management and patient care. Research indicates that optimized resource allocation enhances care quality, reduces patient waiting times, and improves overall satisfaction, all while alleviating operational costs for healthcare facilities(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). These improvements are particularly vital in high-demand settings, where resource mismanagement can lead to service bottlenecks, compromised patient outcomes, and diminished institutional efficiency.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, a systematic analysis of dental emergency data not only aids in understanding patient visit characteristics and addressing their chief complaints more effectively but also provides important insights for hospital management and the optimization of emergency services. The [Institution name hidden], handles a significant volume of dental emergencies in Shanghai and even the Yangtze River Delta region, with nearly 400,000 dental emergency visits recorded over the past decade. The results provide critical insights that can guide improvements in the quality of dental emergency care and support more efficient medical resource allocation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eA total of 396,384 dental emergency visits recorded at the Department of General Dentistry, [Institution name hidden], between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2020, were included in this study. This study conforms to STROBE Guidelines. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) visits occurring between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2020; (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e) treatment provided in the Department of General Dentistry; and (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e) cases with a definitive diagnosis documented by the attending emergency dentist. Exclusion criteria were: (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) incomplete clinical records and (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e) unclear or missing diagnoses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePatients Demographics:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency patients from Department of General Dentistry, [Institution name hidden] from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2020 were enrolled. The data were categorized and summarized based on patient demographics, visit times, and disease classifications, allowing for a better understanding of the characteristics of dental emergency patients.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge and gender.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe patients are divided into 6 groups according to ages. We divided adults into 4 groups: 19\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;39, 40\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;59, 60\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;79, 80 and above, and divided minors into two groups according to preschool and school age: 0\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;6, 7\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;18.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDay of Visit:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to official holidays and day of the week, the day was divided into three groups (holidays, weekends and weekdays) and a further two subgroups (long-term holidays and others) .\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisease types:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisease types were divided into 9 groups based on patients\u0026rsquo; chief complaints and diagnosis: hemorrhage, infection and swollen, trauma, toothache, temporomandibular joint disease, oral mucosal disease, salivary gland disease, periodontal disease and else.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStatistical Analysis:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eR Studio (Version 3.5.2, Posit, PBC, Boston, MA, USA) and SPSS software (Version 26.0, IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA) were used for statistical analysis. The medical records containing age, gender, time, day and diagnosis and other information, were recorded and analyzed. Statistical quantitative analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp, Redmond, WA, USA) formulas. Percentages are used to express the distribution of study variables.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003ePatients Demographics:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe patients were 206006 male and 190377 female. The sex ratio was 1.082:1. The commonest age group was of 19\u0026ndash;39 years, including 139714 (35.25%) patients, followed by 40\u0026ndash;59 years, including 95038 (23.98%) patients, and 60\u0026ndash;79 years, including 77268 (19.49%) patients. Based on disease types, majority of the emergencies were due to infection and swollen (143178 patients, 36.12%), followed by toothache (89825 patients, 22.66%), and trauma (81776 patients, 20.63%). (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDemographic data of patients with dental emergencies (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;396383).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e190377\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e206006\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u0026ndash;6 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8235\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u0026ndash;18 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62489\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u0026ndash;39 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e139714\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40\u0026ndash;59 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95038\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60\u0026ndash;79 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e77268\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80 years and above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13639\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe time of the visit\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0:00\u0026ndash;07:59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56304\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e08:00\u0026ndash;17:59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e138825\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18:00\u0026ndash;23:59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e201254\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50.77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe day of the visit\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHolidays\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49468\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLong-term Holidays\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpring Festival\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11338\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNational Day Holiday\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14532\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNew Year's Day\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4349\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTomb Sweeping Day\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4753\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLabor Day\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5692\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDragon Boat Festival\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5279\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMid-Autumn Festival*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3525\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWeekends\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e123263\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorkdays\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e223652\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisease Types\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHemorrhage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16331\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInfection and Swollen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e143178\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrauma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e81776\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eToothache\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e89825\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.66\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTemporomandibular Joint Diseases\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5859\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOral Mucosal Diseases\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6044\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSalivary Gland Diseases\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2299\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeriodontal Diseases\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13436\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eElse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37635\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e396383\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"3\"\u003e* The years 2012, 2017, and 2020 have been excluded from the analysis, as the Mid- Autumn Festival and National Day Holiday coincided during these years, resulting in a combined total of 8 consecutive days off.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGenders Distribution of Visits:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo significant difference was found between the two genders of the total visits during the ten years. In the different composition of the disease types, trauma was more common in male (50096, 61.3%), and the temporomandibular joint disease was found more in female (3602, 61.5%). Among the different age groups, the majority of patients under 18 were male (43123, 61.0%), and 56.8% patients over 80 were female. (Appendix Fig.\u0026nbsp;1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge Group Trends:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere was an overall upward trend in the number of visits for different age groups during the ten years, but a significant decrease was found in the number of visits of the 7\u0026ndash;18 age group in 2017, which may be due to the opening of craniomaxillofacial specialist emergency department in [Institution name hidden] in 2017 to receive trauma and other patients. (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTemporal Trends:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe number of visits at different time also showed a steady upward trend during the ten years, and the number of visits in the 18:00\u0026ndash;23:59 group also decreased significantly in 2017, which may still be related to the opening of craniomaxillofacial specialist emergency departments. (Appendix Fig.\u0026nbsp;2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHoliday Trends:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the 7-day and more long holidays, there were significant differences between the number of patients during the National Day holiday and holidays except National Day Holiday (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002), and also between the National Day Holiday and days except National Day Holiday (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002)(Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). The Spring Festival and the National Day Holiday are similar, significant differences could be found between Spring Festival and holidays except Spring Festival (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.049), and between Spring Festival and days except Spring Festival (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.004)(Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). The number of visits between the National Day Holiday and Spring Festival were also different, significant difference could be observed with a p-value of 0.002 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisease Composition:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere was a noticeable upward trend in the total number of visits from 2011 to 2020, with peaks observed in 2016 and 2019 caused by the opening of craniomaxillofacial specialist emergency departments. The number of patients with infection and swelling, as well as hemorrhage, has increased year by year, highlighting their significance in the composition of emergency diseases. Conversely, the number of trauma patients saw a significant decline in 2017, which is closely related to the diversion of craniofacial emergencies (Appendix Fig.\u0026nbsp;3).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study demonstrates a gradual increase in the total number of DE visits over the past decade, correlating with the rising permanent population of Shanghai and an increased awareness of oral health issues. Notably, there were significant declines in 2017 and 2020, closely linked to the establishment of a craniomaxillofacial emergency department at [Institution name hidden] and the global pandemic. The craniomaxillofacial emergency department primarily treats patients with facial and neck injuries, thereby reducing the burden on dental emergency services, particularly during evening hours.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe age group with the highest number of DE visits was 19\u0026ndash;39 years, accounting for 35.25%. This finding aligns with the report by Kim et al. from South Korea, which identified the two leading age groups as 20\u0026ndash;29 and 30\u0026ndash;39 years(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Also, Verma et al. Showed that the peak age of patients with dental presentations was the 26\u0026ndash;30 years group(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). This trend may be related to the prevalence of caries and pericoronitis in this demographic(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e), which also has a higher proportion of females (53.1%), possibly due to hormonal changes during pregnancy that predispose them to oral diseases(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). Patients aged 19\u0026ndash;39 often have limited opportunities to seek dental care during working hours. In the total number of visits, males constituted a larger proportion (52.0%), which is consistent with other research findings(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e). Among minors (ages 0\u0026ndash;6 and 7\u0026ndash;18), males constituted over 61.0%, with trauma accounting for 58.3%, likely reflecting gender-related behavioral differences in contact sports and adventure activities(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe peak time for emergency visits was between 18:00 and 23:59, representing 50.77% of total visits, which coincides with the closure of outpatient services during this period. The average peak visit time throughout the year was from 19:00 to 23:00, while visits were minimal between 04:00 and 07:00. Huang et al. noted that the peak visit times in Taiwan were from 22:00 to 24:00, with a low point from 04:00 to 07:00, which aligns with our findings(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e). During holidays, the peak visit time shifted to 09:00\u0026ndash;11:00, likely due to the closure of outpatient services throughout the day, leading the public to seek emergency care after waking. In 2017, there was a significant decline in patient visits during the 18:00\u0026ndash;23:59 time slot. This decrease can be attributed to the establishment of the craniomaxillofacial emergency department, which diverted patients presenting with trauma. A substantial portion of these trauma patients (47.68%) sought care during the 18:00\u0026ndash;23:59 period. Hospital management should consider increasing staff during nighttime and holiday hours to better accommodate peak emergency demand.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn our study, the leading causes of dental emergency (DE) visits were infections and swelling (36.12%), trauma (20.63%), and toothache (22.66%), while hemorrhage, temporomandibular joint disease, oral mucosal disease, salivary gland disease, and periodontal disease collectively accounted for 11.09%. Research by Bae et al. indicated that up to 66% of DE patients in South Korea presented with dental trauma(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e). In Taiwan, Huang et al. showed that 22.2% of DE cases were due to trauma(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e), which is the second most common disease type in our study. The relatively lower proportion of trauma cases may be attributed to the establishment of a craniomaxillofacial emergency department at the study site. Notably, optimizing the scheduling system to increase the proportion of trauma-trained clinicians could further enhance care delivery, ensuring the timely and specialized management of such injuries. Infections and swelling, as the most prevalent disease type, are associated not only with postoperative complications from various dental procedures, such as tooth extractions or implants, but also with prolonged appointment intervals for oral treatments. Some patients with pulpits, apical periodontitis, and pericoronitis have experienced swelling in the oral and maxillofacial regions due to delays in receiving timely and comprehensive care(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results indicate a significant increase in visit volume during holidays compared to weekdays (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), particularly during extended holidays such as the National Day (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002) and Spring Festival (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.004). Significant differences were also observed between the National Day and Spring Festival (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002) and between the National Day and other holidays (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002). The disparity between these two holidays may be influenced by traditional Chinese cultural practices, where the public tends to complete dental check-ups and treatments before the Spring Festival to avoid seeking care during the holiday. The seven-day National Day holiday may provide working individuals with an opportunity to address oral health issues, thereby increasing their willingness to seek care during this period.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe results of this study offer valuable insights into the patterns of dental emergency visits in Shanghai's largest dental emergency center, highlighting peak visit times, seasonal trends, and the distribution of disease types. The findings emphasize the importance of optimizing resource allocation, particularly during peak hours and holidays, to enhance the overall quality and efficiency of dental emergency services. Continued attention to resource management and patient care protocols is crucial to meet the growing demand for dental emergency services. It is evident that the limitations of this study lie in its reliance on singular diagnostic data without recording subsequent treatment measures and the lack of consideration for broader demographic or social and environmental factors. Future research will incorporate more extensive datasets to gather additional evidence on dental emergency visit patterns. Furthermore, artificial intelligence(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e) or remote triage systems(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e) will be introduced to support management decision-making and optimize resource allocation in dental emergency services.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (Approval No.: SH9H-2025-T214-2). The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was waived by the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Ethics Committee, as the study used anonymized retrospective data.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsent for publication \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAvailability of data and materials \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Mendeley Data repository: \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLi, Kexuan (2025),\u0026nbsp;“Ten-Year Cross-Sectional Study Data”, Mendeley Data, V2, https://doi.org/10.17632/zmz2nv7hw8.2\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCompeting interests \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFunding \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthors' contributions \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKL and ZC contributed to conception, design, statistical analysis, and drafted and critically revised the manuscript. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLZ contributed to conception, design, data analysis, and critically revised the manuscript. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eXY and LS contributed to conception, design, and critically revised the manuscript. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYH contributed to data analysis and critically revised the manuscript. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYZ contributed to data acquisition and interpretation, and critically revised the manuscript. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYT contributed to conception, design, data acquisition and interpretation, and critically revised the manuscript. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll authors gave their final approval and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgements \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLee HH, Lewis CW, Saltzman B, Starks H. Visiting the emergency department for dental problems: trends in utilization, 2001 to 2008. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(11):e77\u0026ndash;83.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAhsan KB, Alam MR, Morel DG, Karim MA. Emergency department resource optimisation for improved performance: a review. J Industrial Eng Int. 2019;15(S1):253\u0026ndash;66.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKim C, Choi E, Park KM, Kwak EJ, Huh J, Park W. Characteristics of patients who visit the dental emergency room in a dental college hospital. J Dent Anesth Pain Med. 2019;19(1):21\u0026ndash;7.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVerma S, Chambers I. Dental emergencies presenting to a general hospital emergency department in Hobart, Australia. Aust Dent J. 2014;59(3):329\u0026ndash;33.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDu R, Ba K, Yang Y, Zhao Y, Lin Y. Efficacy of ornidazole for pericoronitis: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Arch Med Sci. 2024;20(1):189\u0026ndash;95.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJang H, Patoine A, Wu TT, Castillo DA, Xiao J. Oral microflora and pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):16870.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCurrie CC, Stone SJ, Connolly J, Durham J. Dental pain in the medical emergency department: a cross-sectional study. J Oral Rehabil. 2017;44(2):105\u0026ndash;11.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBassey O, Csikar J, Hallam J, Sandoe J, Thompson W, Douglas G. Non-traumatic dental presentations at accident and emergency departments in the UK: a systematic review. Br Dent J. 2020;228(3):171\u0026ndash;6.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTewari N, Bansal K, Mathur VP. Dental Trauma in Children: A Quick Overview on Management. Indian J Pediatr. 2019;86(11):1043\u0026ndash;7.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHuang CL, Yeh IJ, Lin YC, Chiu CF, Du JK. Analysis of adult dental emergencies at a medical center in southern Taiwan. J Dent Sci. 2022;17(3):1314\u0026ndash;20.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBae JH, Kim YK, Choi YH. Clinical characteristics of dental emergencies and prevalence of dental trauma at a university hospital emergency center in Korea. Dent Traumatol. 2011;27(5):374\u0026ndash;8.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGuo H, Zhou Y, Liu X, Tan J. The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the utilization of emergency dental services. J Dent Sci. 2020;15(4):564\u0026ndash;7.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrichembruder K, Mello Dos Santos C, Neves Hugo F. Dental emergency: Scoping review. PLoS ONE. 2020;15(2):e0222248.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFiehn R, Okunev I, Bayham M, Barefoot S, Tranby EP. Emergency and urgent dental visits among Medicaid enrollees from 2013 to 2017. BMC Oral Health. 2020;20(1):355.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-oral-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ohea","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Oral Health](http://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ohea/default.aspx","title":"BMC Oral Health","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"dental emergency, public health, big data, trauma, infection, health services planning","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6492631/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6492631/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBackground:\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe demand for dental emergency services has increased in recent years, creating an imbalance between the supply and demand of dental emergency services. To investigate the current status of dental emergency resources and to provide insights for optimizing emergency service allocation, this study examined the characteristics of visits in the biggest dental emergency center in China.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaterials and methods:\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRetrospective study was adopted. The data included 396,383 dental emergency visits across all age groups at Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine from 2011 to 2020. Medical records providing age, gender, time, day and disease types were collected and analyzed.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eResults:\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 206,006 male and 190,377 female patients were included, resulting in a sex ratio of 1.082:1. The most common age group was 19\u0026ndash;39 years (35.25%), with infections and swelling being the most frequent emergencies (36.12%). Trauma was more prevalent in males (61.3%), while temporomandibular joint diseases were more common in females (61.5%). The peak time period for significant differences was observed in patient numbers during the Chinese National Day Holiday compared to other holidays (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002), with similar trends noted for the Chinese Spring Festival (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.049).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusion:\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study provides a comprehensive overview of dental emergency visits in China\u0026rsquo;s largest center and highlights a substantial increase in cases during holidays, particularly the National Day Holiday. These findings offer evidence for optimizing emergency services allocation, including strategic dentist scheduling during peak periods.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Ten-year trend of dental emergency visits in China: A cross-sectional study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-06-17 15:51:44","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6492631/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-07-07T08:20:09+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-03T11:43:19+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-01T01:01:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-06-26T08:46:55+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"235421650305826737601508941699854569413","date":"2025-06-24T01:24:39+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"172000160599310823620018274917234069736","date":"2025-06-23T10:11:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"232319864589223323089860829804050372448","date":"2025-06-23T07:33:18+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"217755171726545475171470208220229623787","date":"2025-06-21T19:19:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-06-21T14:15:06+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"259913784531639016243562016536297277424","date":"2025-06-14T04:53:50+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-12T02:30:11+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-06-12T02:28:04+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-02T06:13:41+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-06-01T03:48:13+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Oral Health","date":"2025-06-01T03:45:43+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-oral-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ohea","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Oral Health](http://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ohea/default.aspx","title":"BMC Oral Health","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"c4237aa2-248c-40b9-82b9-72902af57764","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 17th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-01T16:08:59+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6492631","link":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-07219-0","journal":{"identity":"bmc-oral-health","isVorOnly":false,"title":"BMC Oral Health"},"publishedOn":"2025-11-24 15:58:46","publishedOnDateReadable":"November 24th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-06-17 15:51:44","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1186/s12903-025-07219-0","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-07219-0","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6492631","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6492631","identity":"rs-6492631","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}