Thousands going to Dane County ERs for dental problems

MADISON, Wis. — A new report says Dane County is seeing mixed results in its efforts to reduce the number of people relying on hospital emergency rooms for dental problems.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports that Dane County has been trying to tackle the issue of connecting patients with treatment elsewhere, for less money, since 2010.

Data released by the Public Health Madison & Dane County this month shows there were nearly 460 fewer dental cases in the ER and 770 fewer patients with tooth pain in urgent care centers in Madison in 2015.

David Gunderson, a Madison dentist and president of the Oral Health Coalition of Dane County, says the county is making progress, but there are still thousands of people in Dane County showing up in emergency rooms and urgent care centers.

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