Estimates of Hospital Based Emergency Department Visits due to Dental Implant Failures in the United States

•Significant number of dental implant failure patients visited emergency departments.•A small percentage of these patients were subsequently hospitalized.•This study highlights a significant public health problem in the health care system.

ObjectiveObjective of the current study is to provide nationally representative estimates of hospital based emergency department (ED) visits attributed to dental implant failures in the United States.MethodsThe Nationwide Emergency Department sample for the years 2008–2010 was used. All ED visits with a diagnosis of “dental implant failures” were selected for analysis. Patient demographics were examined. Outcomes of interest included disposition status following the ED visit and ED charges.ResultsDuring the study period, a total of 1200 ED visits were due to dental implant failures. Most ED visits with dental implant failures occurred among those aged <18 years (22.4% of all ED visits) followed by those aged 70 years and above (18.2%). Males comprised 53.7% of all ED visits. Close to 89% did not have any other chronic co-morbid conditions. Osseointegration failure of dental implant occurred in 31.7% of patients while post-osseointegration mechanical failure of dental implant occurred in 30.4% of patients. Following an ED visit, 82.8% were discharged routinely and 13.3% of patients were admitted as in-patients into the same hospital following the ED visit. The mean ED charge per visit was $1167.ConclusionsHighest proportions of these ED visits were comprised of those aged <18 years, those aged 70 years and above, and male patients. The inherent limitations of NEDS database and lack of data elements precluded us from establishing an association between patient related factors and risk of ED visits due to implant failures.