Treat-and-Release Emergency Department Utilization and Costs for Traumatic and Nontraumatic Dental Conditions, 2019 and 2020
March 2024 R. Henry Olaisen, Ph.D., M.P.H., P.M.P., and Marc Roemer, M.S. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 95 percent of all emergency department (ED) visits involving dental conditions resulted in a discharge from the ED. 1 The pandemic affected both the utilization and cost of healthcare services. 2,3 Empirical evidence from administrative data and self-reported surveys shows that the share of adults who visited a hospital ED in 2019 and 2020 was below pre-pandemic levels. 2, 4-5 This Healthcare Cost