Patient Management
Sara E. Saey, BS (she/her/hers)
Dental Student
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
The University of Iowa College of Dentistry
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Kecia S. Leary, DDS, MS
Clinical Professor
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Fang Qian, PhD
University of Iowa College of Dentistry
Kecia S. Leary, DDS, MS
Clinical Professor
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare characteristics of current referral patients with previously referred patients at the University of Iowa Pediatric Dental Clinic (UIPDC). It was hypothesized that there would be a difference in referral patterns between the two groups of patients. Information obtained from this study will provide insight into the effectiveness of the UIPDC referral system.
Methods: Data were previously collected from 340 patients referred to the UIPDC between July 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016. The present study collected data from 1,611 patients referred from July 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021 to the UIPDC. Patient information included: age, treatment duration, payment source, distance from the patient’s hometown to the UIPDC, the size of the patient’s hometown, referring provider, and the treatment needs of the patient. Descriptive statistics were generated. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses are forthcoming (alpha= 0.05).
Results: With the new electronic referral system, a total of 1,611 patients were referred to the UIPDC in the specified treatment period compared to 340 patients in the previous study involving paper referrals. Of the 1,611 referral patients, the mean age was 6.5±3.1 years and 73.1% had Medicaid. Nearly 70% of patients were referred by general dentists, and 56.8% lived greater than 60 miles away from the UIPDC. Approximately 90% of patients had caries and the greatest treatment needs were stainless steel crowns (60%), restorations (49%), and primary tooth extractions (46%).
Conclusion: Important information was found between referred patient populations. Further data is forthcoming.