Publication: Incidence and Pattern of Patient-Perceived Oral Medicine Emergencies during Lockdown: Experience of Tertiary Health Care Centre of Eastern Nepal
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kathmandu University
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background
There has been a significant drop in the number of patients seeking oral medicine
care during the lockdown period.
Objective
To find the incidence and pattern of patient perceived oral medicine emergencies in
the tertiary healthcare centre of eastern Nepal, during the lockdown period.
Method
The clinical profile of patients seeking oral medicine care between 30th April 2021
to 25th June 2021 (period of strict lockdown in Sunsari district) was recorded. Data
were recorded in an excel sheet and transferred to Statistical Package for the Social
Sciences version 11.5. Frequency and proportion were calculated.
Result
During the lockdown, 300 patients had visited the hospital with different oral
diseases seeking the care of an oral physician. The average number of patients
seeking oral medicine care per day was approximately six. Of the total patients,
110 patients had pain as their chief complaint, 48 had wound and 34 had a
burning sensation in the mouth. Among them 82% perceived their complaint as
an emergency. The provisional diagnosis was temporomandibular disorders in 40
patients, trigeminal neuralgia in 38 patients and 34 had carcinoma.
Conclusion
Patients seeking oral medicine care during the lockdown period had decreased by
about one-third. Pertaining to oral medicine, pain in any orofacial area was the most
common patient perceived emergency condition followed by wound and burning
sensation. Maximum number of patients visiting the department perceived their
complain as an emergency.
KEY WORDS
COVID-19, Emergency, Lockdown, Nepal, Oral medicine
Description
Regmee P, Adhikari S, Sulu S, Rimal J, Maharjan IK
Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology
College of Dental Surgery
BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
Dharan, Nepal
Keywords
COVID-19, Emergency, Lockdown, Nepal, Oral medicine