Caries
Tasneem A. Alluhaidan, BDS
Pediatric Dental Resident
Tufts University, Medford, MA
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Cheen Y. Loo, DMD, PhD
Department Chair
Tufts University
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Gerald Swee, DMD
Tufts University
Sarah Pagni, PhD, MPH
Tufts University
Jehan Alhumaid, Dr, BDS, CAGS, DScD
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
Meletia Laskou, DMD, DDS, FAAPD
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the caries risk and Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) scores among pediatric patients at Tufts dental hospital.
Methods: This study is a retrospective chart review study, where a convenience sample of 1400 Electronic Health Records was reviewed to measure Caries risk assessment (CAT) and the DMFT scores (decayed/missing/filling teeth) of all children who visited the clinic 1-year pre-shutdown and 1-year post-shutdown at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM).
Results: COVID-19 lockdown increased the caries experience (DMFT/dmft Scores) significantly (p <0.001). Also, The needs for full dental rehabilitation under GA increased significantly after COVID-19 lockdown. After the pandemic, patients with medical health conditions had higher caries experience than healthy patients (p <0.03). Interestingly, there was no significant differences between DMFT/dmft scores of patients with low SES and high SES before the lockdown. However, after the pandemic, patients with high SES had lower caries experience compared to low SES (p <0.007).
Conclusion: In conclusion, the findings of this study evidence the negative effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on caries experience. Thus, to prevent dental caries and/or limit the need for dental visits during the pandemic, preventive measures should be taken by encouraging parents and their children to improve the oral hygiene practices through teledentistry, restricting the dietary fermentable carbohydrates and using fluoride-containing products.