Characteristics of the dataset of dental consultations used in multilevel modelling
| Consultations (n= 272 110) | |
|---|---|
| Antibiotic prescribed, n (%) | 156 243a (57.4) |
| Patient demographic characteristics | |
| Mean age at consultation, years (SD) | 41.3 (19.9) |
| Female, n (%) | 149 470 (54.9) |
| Episodes of dental problems per patient, median (IQR) | 1.0 (1.0–1.0) |
| Patient comorbidities, n (%) | |
| Diabetes mellitus (type 1 or 2) | 12 387 (4.6) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 2003 (0.7) |
| Coronary heart disease | 12 017 (4.4) |
| Day of consultation, n (%) | |
| Monday | 60 443 (22.2) |
| Tuesday | 51 691 (19.0) |
| Wednesday (base) | 47 853 (17.6) |
| Thursday | 47 799 (17.6) |
| Friday | 54 662 (20.1) |
| Weekend (Saturday or Sunday) | 9662 (3.5) |
| Month of consultation, n (%) | |
| January | 23 386 (8.6) |
| February | 21 386 (7.9) |
| March | 23 340 (8.6) |
| April | 21 796 (8.0) |
| May | 22 358 (8.2) |
| June (base) | 22 957 (8.4) |
| July | 23 159 (8.5) |
| August | 22 614 (8.3) |
| September | 22 955 (8.4) |
| October | 22 835 (8.4) |
| November | 22 407 (8.2) |
| December | 22 917 (8.4) |
| Country, n (%) | |
| England (base) | 221 973 (81.6) |
| Scotland | 19 612 (7.2) |
| Wales | 25 179 (9.3) |
| Northern Ireland | 5346 (2.0) |
| Practice size, n (%) | |
| 1st quartile (≤5508 registered patients) (base) | 31 660 (11.6) |
| 2nd quartile (5509–7776 patients) | 53 925 (19.8) |
| 3rd quartile (7777–10 830 patients) | 73 763 (27.1) |
| 4th quartile (≥10 831 patients) | 112 762 (41.4) |
↵a This represents a subpopulation of all consultations. IQR = interquartile range.