Parents Concern Regarding Dental Treatment for Children During COVID-19 - A Survey

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 [Coronavirus] was declared as a pandemic disease by the World Health Organization in the year 2020 Almost all the dental care facilities in the affected countries were closed and provided only minimal dental services Several guidelines were proposed by the government for providing essential and non-essential dental services Several parents were not accessible to the dentists and faced difficulties in providing treatment for their children The dental emergencies among the child include trauma, severe dental caries, pulpitis, and swellings Treatment should be provided regarding these dental emergencies Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the difficulties faced by the parent for dental treatment in their child during COVID-19 Materials and Methods: This study was conducted through an online questionnaire during pandemic disease COVID-19 The survey was circulated among the parents, whose child required dental treatment and this study assessed the difficulties faced by parents regarding dental treatment for their children The data were recorded and tabulated Results: The mean age of the parents who took part in this study was 38 85 50 59% were females and 49 41% were males The mean age of the child whose parents were involved in this study was 10 52 91 95% of the patients were aware of the COVID-19 condition 27 59% of the parents encountered dental problems in their children 35 9% of the parents consulted the dentists regarding the dental problem encountered in their children Various treatment options preferred by the parents were going to the dentists [50 91%], online consultations [27 27%], and Home remedy [21 82%] 59 46% of the children were relieved from their pain after the treatment 43 24% of the parents found that online consultations were effective and satisfying 58 62% of the parents have the fear of transmission during the dental visits for their child Reasons for not accessible to the dentists among parents were Transportation problems [72%], Dentists were not available [24%], other reasons [4%] 58 62% of the parents were aware of the essential and non-essential dental treatment Conclusion: The difficulties faced by the parents in the treatment of their child during COVID-19 were most commonly associated with the transportation problem Most of the parents preferred home remedies due to the fear of the pandemic situation The prevalence of dental emergencies among children is comparatively lesser Awareness about the essential and non-essential dental treatment prevails © IJCRR