The Impact of Weather on Emergency Visits for Acute Endodontic Treatment—A Retrospective Time-Series Study

Background: This study examines the correlation between extreme weather events and acute endodontic treatment-related emergency visits (AET-related EVs). Methods: A total of 11,541 AET-related EVs at the Medical University Graz from January 2016 to August 2022 were analyzed using a distributed lag non-linear model. Extreme weather was defined as conditions beyond the 5th or 95th percentiles, and relative (RR) and cumulative risks (cRR) were assessed over 14 days. Results: High temperatures (>21 °C) increased AET-related EVs (cRR 1.41 [1.20–1.65], p < 0.001), while cold spells reduced cRR (0.81 [0.68–0.96], p = 0.014). Prolonged humidity around 65% raised cRR to 1.38 (1.21–1.59, p < 0.001). Heavy precipitation elevated cRR (1.24 [1.04–1.46], p = 0.016). Lower wind speeds were linked to a reduced cRR of EVs within four days following a single weather event (minimum of 0.86 [0.75–0.99], p = 0.032), and within four, seven and 14 days after prolonged low wind speeds (minimum of 0.69 [0.58–0.83], p < 0.001). Three-day low atmospheric pressure increased RR after seven days (1.04 [1.01–1.08], p = 0.014), while a single event reduced cRR by one day (0.78 [0.63–0.95], p = 0.016). Conclusions: Extreme weather events significantly influence AET-related EV rates, with various conditions affecting risk differently. Potentially causative pathophysiological mechanisms need to be researched.

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Publication Details

Journal
Applied Sciences
Published
2026-06-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/app16136505
Primary Topic
Climate Change and Health Impacts
Type
article
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article

The Impact of Weather on Emergency Visits for Acute Endodontic Treatment—A Retrospective Time-Series Study

Marcus Rieder, Faris F. Brkic, David T. Liu, Bernhard Remschmidt et al.
Applied Sciences
Climate Change and Health Impacts
article

The Impact of Weather on Emergency Visits for Acute Endodontic Treatment—A Retrospective Time-Series Study

Marcus Rieder, Faris F. Brkic, David T. Liu, Bernhard Remschmidt, Jan Gaessler, Norbert Jakse, Markus Hribernig, Michael Payer
article en

Abstract

Background: This study examines the correlation between extreme weather events and acute endodontic treatment-related emergency visits (AET-related EVs). Methods: A total of 11,541 AET-related EVs at the Medical University Graz from January 2016 to August 2022 were analyzed using a distributed lag non-linear model. Extreme weather was defined as conditions beyond the 5th or 95th percentiles, and relative (RR) and cumulative risks (cRR) were assessed over 14 days. Results: High temperatures (>21 °C) increased AET-related EVs (cRR 1.41 [1.20–1.65], p < 0.001), while cold spells reduced cRR (0.81 [0.68–0.96], p = 0.014). Prolonged humidity around 65% raised cRR to 1.38 (1.21–1.59, p < 0.001). Heavy precipitation elevated cRR (1.24 [1.04–1.46], p = 0.016). Lower wind speeds were linked to a reduced cRR of EVs within four days following a single weather event (minimum of 0.86 [0.75–0.99], p = 0.032), and within four, seven and 14 days after prolonged low wind speeds (minimum of 0.69 [0.58–0.83], p < 0.001). Three-day low atmospheric pressure increased RR after seven days (1.04 [1.01–1.08], p = 0.014), while a single event reduced cRR by one day (0.78 [0.63–0.95], p = 0.016). Conclusions: Extreme weather events significantly influence AET-related EV rates, with various conditions affecting risk differently. Potentially causative pathophysiological mechanisms need to be researched.

Applied SciencesVol. 16(13)
Medical University of Graz (AT), Medical University of Vienna (AT)
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Climate Change and Health Impacts
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