Public health reports
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Public health reports · Mar 2011
Secular trends in hospital emergency department visits for dental care in Kansas City, Missouri, 2001-2006.
We determined the trends, risk factors, and costs of emergency department (ED) visits for dental complaints during a six-year period in Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO). ⋯ There was a significant increasing trend in dental complaint-related ED visits. EDs have become an important site for people with dental problems to seek urgent care, particularly for individuals who self-pay or are on Medicaid.
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Public health reports · Mar 2011
Evaluating risk factors and possible mediation effects in posttraumatic depression and posttraumatic stress disorder comorbidity.
On September 11, 2001 (9/11), attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) killed 341 Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) firefighters and injured hundreds more. Previous WTC-related studies reported high rates of comorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), identifying disability retirement, alcohol use, and early arrival at the WTC site as correlates. However, those studies did not evaluate risk factors that could have mediated the observed comorbidity. We identified unique risk factors for each condition in an effort to better understand comorbidity. ⋯ Our data support the premise that PTSD and depression are different responses to trauma with unique risk factors. The data also suggest a hypothesis that PTSD mediates the relationship between early WTC arrival and depression, while depression mediates the relationship between alcohol use and PTSD, a more complex relationship than shown in previous studies. Clinicians should consider these factors when evaluating patients for depression and PTSD.