The impact of COVID-19 on dental care in New York State and Georgia.

Abstract

Introduction During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an unprecedented and forced closure of dental offices worldwide. As American state recommendations differed considerably during this period, this research strives to better define the effects of this pause on dental care.Materials and methods A 16-question Qualtrics survey was sent to the membership of the New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) and Georgia Dental Association (GDA). Licenced, actively practising dental members of the NYSDA and GDA (n = 680) answered questions about their practice demographics, appointment cancellations, reopening times and the volume of individual dental procedures performed from 1 March through to 1 August 2020, compared to the same five-month period in 2019.Results Demographic characteristics of respondent NYSDA and GDA members were statistically similar. Nonetheless, NYSDA members reported significantly larger decreases in provision of all types of dental procedures, except for antibiotic prescription, including prophylaxis, elective care, emergency dental care and speciality procedures.Discussion and conclusions All dental procedures declined significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with greater decrease in New York than in Georgia. This study raises concerns about the negative impact of the pandemic on oral public health and mandates both further research and clinical strategies to mitigate against this future risk.