The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Pattern and Presentation of Traumatic Dental Injuries in Children in a Tertiary Health Institution.

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic brought adaptive changes in lifestyle with possible impact on the incidence of traumatic dental injuries. This study compared the presentation and pattern of traumatic dental injuries in children during the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 pandemic periods. This was a retrospective study done using clinical records of children aged 16 years and below who presented at the paediatric dental clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Information such as demographics, aetiology, type of injuries, and dentition type were elicited from the 1284 clinical records from March 2019 to February 2021. Data were analysed and the level of significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. One hundred (7.8%) patients presented with traumatic dental injuries (TDIs; 71 [8.5%] and 29 [6.5%] pre-pandemic [March 2019 to February 2020] and pandemic periods [March 2020 to February 2021], respectively) and their mean age was 7.0 (±4.2) years. The male-to-female ratio before and during the pandemic periods was 1.54:1 and 1.42:1, respectively. The commonest aetiology and type of TDI were falls 82 (82%) and injuries to tooth-supporting structures 45 (45%), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in sex (P = 0.86), aetiology (P = 0.31), type of TDI (P = 0.16), and dentition affected (P = 0.97) between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods but the difference in the age groups was significant (P = 0.02). The incidence of TDIs was higher in the pre-pandemic period. The younger age group had more dental injuries than the older ones at both periods. This may be due to difficulty in enforcing restrictions on young children even during COVID-19 restrictions.