Impact of social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric dentistry appointments
a systematic review and meta-analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35699/2178-1990.2022.39551Keywords:
COVID-19, Pandemics, Social isolation, Quarantine, Appointments and schedules, ChildAbstract
Aim: To evaluate studies that showed the impact of social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric dentistry appointments.
Methods: This work included original studies that have evaluated the impact of social isolation in children’s and adolescents’ appointments with a pediatric dentist. Searches were conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and PubMed databases. Study selection was carried out by two authors. Risk of bias was assessed using the University of Adelaide scale. Results of meta-analyses were provided in odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI).
Results: Our study evaluated 794 references, of which four studies were included. The proportion of dental appointments performed in 2019 (before the pandemic) for restorative treatment (OR = 22.65; CI = 20.57–24.93), tooth extraction (OR = 15.96; CI = 14.78–17.23), and endodontic treatment (OR = 9.21; CI = 7.72–10.98) was significantly higher than the proportion of dental appointments performed in 2020 (after the onset of the pandemic). The proportion of parents/guardians who would not take their children to an appointment with a pediatric dentist was significantly higher among individuals who were more afrais during the pandemic (score 6 to 10) than among individuals who were less afraid during the pandemic (score 0 to 5) (OR = 8.41; CI = 5.06–13.98). The proportion of parents/guardians who would not take their children to an appointment with a pediatric dentist in regions with more than 100 cases of COVID-19 was significantly higher than in regions with up to 100 cases (OR = 2,45; CI = 1.55–3.88). Risk of bias assessment ranged from low to high. A limitation of this review was the restricted number of included studies.
Conclusion: Social isolation caused a decline in the number of appointments with a pediatric dentist due to parents’ insecurity about taking their children to the dental office. These results are important for both dental clinicians and healthcare decision-makers.
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References
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