Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the oral health status of paediatric dental patients in Greece.

Abstract

Limited evidence regarding the post-COVID-19 dental status of paediatric patients is available, with most studies assessing only children's oral health habits. To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the oral health of paediatric dental patients in Greece. This was a retrospective cohort study that included a questionnaire on children's oral health behavior and a clinical examination assessing dental caries and dental treatment needs using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System criteria, dmft/DMFT, and Treatment Need Index. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for a statistical comparison between questionnaire and clinical data before, during, and after the lockdown. A total of 102 children with a median age of 9 years were recruited from the current cohort of patients that had their last dental examination 6months prior to the lockdown. Results from the questionnaire showed decreased brushing frequency with increased eating frequency and sugar consumption during the lockdown period (p < .001). Moreover, 16.5% had to visit the dentist for urgent care during the lockdown, 13.6% experienced dental pain, and 51.5% did not experience any dental emergencies. Clinical examination, after the lockdown, recorded significantly increased mean dmft/DMFT scores by 0.63 units in the primary dentition (p=.01) and 0.52 units in the permanent teeth (p=.002). Significantly higher treatment needs, with more carious lesions requiring extensive treatment after the lockdown, were recorded (p < .001). The COVID-19 lockdown negatively affected children's oral health behavior: caries prevalence increased and more complex dental treatments were required.