Abstract
The purpose of this study was to grasp the trends of new outpatients of the Meikai University PDI Tokyo Dental Clinic. We conducted a statistical analysis of clinical observations using the data and results of medical examinations at the time of the first visit. There were two groups of subjects: 278 new outpatients admitted in 2005 and 254 new outpatients admitted in 2013. The following data were analyzed: 1) age and number of patients in all age groups; 2) gender; 3) place of residence; 4) chief complaint; 5) systemic disease; and 6) response after the first visit.
The analysis showed the following results. The mean age of the new outpatients decreased, from 40.7 to 35.5 years. New outpatients in their 20s accounted for the largest group in both datasets. No difference in gender distribution or place of residence was observed. The prevalent chief complaint was toothache, but its share of total complaints reduced. The proportion of patients with systemic diseases increased. The treatment at the time of the first visit changed from endodontic therapy to medication. From the above results, we were able to grasp the present outpatient trends.
