Impact of the COVID-19 on dental consultations in Primary Health Care in Brazil: an ecological study

Abstract

The objective of the study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental consultations performed in Primary Health Care (PHC) in Brazil. This was an ecological study, with secondary data collected from the Health Information System for Primary Care of the Ministry of Health. Monthly reports were generated regarding individual care in the 27 federative units in the periods from April to December of: 2018/2019 (before the pandemic) and 2020 (during the pandemic), later divided into quarters. Descriptive data, mean differences, and percentage of variation of dental care in PHC were obtained and compared for each state between periods using the Mann-Whitney U-test (α<0.05), by using SPSS program. A total of 55,687,591 cases were analyzed, 13.1% of which were during the pandemic. The monthly average was 12,456.6 consultations before the pandemic and, during, 3,732.7, with a significant reduction of 70.0% (p≤0.01). The first quarter (Q2) after recognition of the pandemic (April to June) showed the largest reduction (85,7%) in consultations nationwide, with April being the most affected and all states had a significant reduction when compared with 2018/2019. All states, with the exception of Amapá, showed significant reductions in the 3rd quarter (Q4), despite the gradual increase in consultations throughout 2020. The pandemic had a negative impact on the number of dental consultations performed in PHC in the country. There was a positive evolution in the course of 2020, but the numbers remain well below the levels that were reached before the pandemic.