Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Treatment in Children: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis in Jeddah City

Abstract

Background/Purpose The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has affected individuals worldwide. Considering the nature of dental treatments and direct exposure to saliva, blood, aerosols, or droplets from infected individuals, dentists are at significant risk of COVID-19 infection. Therefore, to decrease aerosol-generating procedures, minimally invasive dentistry (MID) is recommended during this pandemic. The goal of this research was to compare the flow of patients during a pandemic at a single university hospital in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia, and to retrospectively assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric dental treatments including MID. Materials and Methods This study was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of pediatric patient records, dental procedures performed, and minimally invasive techniques using the database of the King Abdul-Aziz University Dental Hospital (R4) system during the period of COVID 19 pandemic compared to the same period in the previous year. Results During the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatric dental patient flow included only 699 patients compared to 1151 patients during the same period in the previous year. The most common pediatric dental procedures performed during the pandemic period were simple restorative treatments, including fissure sealants, followed by dental extractions, and fluoride varnish applications. During the pandemic period, more minimally invasive treatments were performed, including the Hall technique, silver diamine fluoride, resin infiltration, and atraumatic restorative techniques. Conclusion Based on this data, the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on dental patient flow and the type of dental procedures performed on children. Minimally invasive treatments that minimize air generation are recommended; however, to establish the long-term effectiveness of minimally invasive treatments in pediatric dentistry, more follow-up studies with bigger sample sizes are required. More recommendations regarding conservative pediatric dental management after the COVID-19 era are suggested.

Minimal Intervention Dentistry (MID) mainstream or unconventional option? Study exploring the impact of COVID-19 on paediatric dentists’ views and practices of MID for managing carious primary teeth in children across the United Kingdom and European Union

“…There remain few studies understanding paediatric dentists’ practices in caries management of primary teeth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even fewer exploring their views on the use of MID for the management of dental caries in children during and after the COVID pandemic. Only one study, conducted in Jeddah, supported our hypothesis and found the use of these MID techniques increased throughout the profession during the COVID pandemic (Alamoudi et al 2022 ). Perhaps, as a result of the various resources being launched raised awareness of MID, for example, the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) released resources to support the use of SDF in arresting dental caries in primary teeth in 2020 (BSPD 2020 ).…”

“…Several authors have recommended the continuation of MID techniques post-pandemic, which may help reduce any anxiety regarding COVID-19 amongst paediatric patients, carers and healthcare providers (Al Halabi et al 2020 ; Alamoudi et al 2022 ).…”

The Impact of COVID-19 on Dental Treatment in Kuwait—A Retrospective Analysis from the Nation’s Largest Hospital

“…The results of this study have to be viewed keeping in mind the overall changes in dentistry, both globally and within the Middle Eastern region [ 25 , 26 ]. The results of this study are in keeping with those of Cha and Cohen, who showed that there were significantly fewer adults who received a dental check-up in 2019 compared to 2020 [ 25 ]. The practice of dentistry in large hospital-based or hospital-like situations differs in many ways from the practice in a smaller individual or group dental practice.…”

Effect of COVID-19 on dental care for children during the post-pandemic era in Ghana: a concern for policymaking

“…Throughout dental care, the increased spread of aerosols while drilling and scaling and the physical immediacy between dentists and their clients upsurge the risk of infection (4). The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed measures during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the spread of infection between dentists and clients (5). The WHO prohibited performing aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) that enable aerosols to be transmitted from one person to another (5).…”

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed measures during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the spread of infection between dentists and clients (5). The WHO prohibited performing aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) that enable aerosols to be transmitted from one person to another (5). Considering the landscape of dental care and direct contact with saliva, blood, and aerosols from infected persons, dentists are usually in danger of COVID-19 infection.…”