Impact of COVID-19 on dental care utilization, among patients visiting a dental hospital in north Bangalore: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Towards the end of 2019, Wuhan, China, reported the novel corona virus disease , characterized by symptoms of fever and pneumonia. COVID-19 pandemic in turn affected the whole world in ways that were not anticipated. The Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the Director-General of WHO on March 11, 2020. The fear of contracting COVID 19, because of it's novel and rapid transmission, could make individuals hesitant to visit public places like medical and dental hospitals and clinics, due to which dental clinics & hospitals have been observing a massive decline in the number of patients visiting these facilities, which can be attributed to the increased worry/fear of the public towards risk of transmission of this disease from dental procedures. Aim-This study aims to assess the impact of Covid-19 on dental care utilization among patients visiting a dental hospital in Bangalore city. Methods-A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among patients visiting Krishnadevaraya College of Dental sciences and Hospital. The pretested closed-ended questionnaire was administered by interview method to 159 patients visiting the outpatient department of the dental hospital. Results-A total of 159 subjects participated in the study, of which 59.1% (94) were Males & 40.9% (65) were females. Pain was the main reason the subjects visited the dental hospital 39.6% (63). Majority of the subjects 59.7% (95) did not fear contracting COVID-19 from the hospital, whereas 40.3% (64) subjects had a fear of contracting the virus from the dental hospital. Conclusion-The findings of this study suggests that there is a significant association between the fear among patients visiting the dental hospital and the safety precautions being followed at the dental hospital.