Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

Age-Adjusted ER Visit Rate due to Dental Problems

Measurement Period: 2017

This indicator shows the annual emergency room visit rate due to dental problems per 100,000 population. Dental problems include ICD codes: 521.0-521.9, 522.0-522.9, 523, and 525.0-525.9

Why is this important?

Many emergency department visits in the United States are caused by non-urgent or preventable medical conditions, adding strain to crowded emergency rooms and contributing to the rise of health care costs. Dental related visits are a growing contributor to unnecessary emergency room visits. Research has shown that these costs may be lowered by diverting such visits to dental offices where patients may receive continuous and longer-termed care. Saved costs may be used to fund Medicaid premiums and dental offices where cost effective preventative care may be administered.

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