Comparison of the Dental Treatments Performed in A Pediatric Dentistry Clinic During the Covid-19 Pandemic Period with the Pre-Pandemic Period: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on attendance and treatments performed in a paediatric dental clinic. Materials & Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using the records of pediatric patients treated in two periods: before the pandemic (15 March 2019–14 March 2020) and during the pandemic (15 March 2020–14 March 2021). Data regarding patients’ age, sex and administered treatment were collected and analyzed. The treatments applied were categorized under 6 groups: examination, restorative, preventive, prosthetic, emergency and surgical, and periodontal. Rates of each procedure were compared between two periods. Results: During pandemic, 11,700 patients applied to our clinics and 26,995 procedures were performed, resulting a decrease by 63.5% and 84.3% in the outpatients and treatments, respectively, compared to the pre-pandemic period. During the pandemic, the rates of examination and surgical procedures were significantly higher than those before the pandemic, while the rates of other procedures were significantly decreased (p<0.001). Conclusion: The COVID-19 Pandemic has been shown to have a significant impact on dental care delivery in children.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• SARS-CoV-2
• pediatric dentistry
• dental procedures
• dental services

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