Knowledge and attitude toward COVID-19 and dental treatment - Its availability and treatment satisfaction during the pandemic among adult population - An online survey

Evaluation of Tele-Dentistry and Face-to-Face Appointments during the Provision of Dental Services in Poland

Tele-dentistry is a rapidly growing field, especially in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote services are of increasing interest to both patients and dental personnel. They allow for reduced person-to-person contact and thus a reduced risk of transmission of the SARS-CoV2 virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the functioning of all areas of life, including dental treatment. The aim of the study was to assess the possibility of using tele-dentistry for dental services and analyse the attitudes of patients and dentists towards this solution. The period analysed was between March 2019 and February 2021 in five healthcare entities in Cracow in Central Europe. The study’s retrospective analysis shows a positive attitude of patients towards tele-dentistry at every stage of treatment, from diagnosis through postoperative care, and a significant reluctance of dentists in the majority of dental specialties towards tele-dentistry. Consequently, a significant percentage of patients were invited to dental offices for a face-to-face appointment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The negative attitude of dental personnel towards tele-dentistry compared with the positive attitude of patients towards tele-dentistry is somewhat worrying in view of the possibility of a further pandemic. At the same time, it provides important information about the need to educate and support dental personnel in tele-dental solutions and improve solutions for the future. Taking into account the potential reduction in dental care costs for patients and countries after the implementation of tele-dentistry solutions, this is an important topic, while current studies do not comprehensively address the attitudes of patients and dental personnel towards tele-dentistry. In other parts of the world, a similar approach to tele-dentistry is used by patients and dentists.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the timing of dental care in elderly peruvians

In Peru, there is low dental service use among older adults, in addition to a social gradient for use. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered complex scenarios characterized by inadequate access to health services, with greater impact on vulnerable population groups such as the elderly. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the time since last dental care visit among elderly Peruvians. It was a cross-sectional study conducted on a population of 5247 respondents in 2019, and 5066 respondents in 2020. The study considered the answers of people who responded to the question on the last time they had received dental care, extracting a total 4045 subjects for 2019 and 3943 for 2020. The dependent variable was time since last dental care measured in years, while the variables on health, geographic and sociodemographic characteristics were grouped within three dimensions. A descriptive bivariate and multivariateanalysiswasapplied by means of multiple linear regression to analyze the behavior of the variables. Time since the last dental care visit was 7.93 years (SD=8.03) in 2019 and 7.94 years (SD=7.28) in 2020. A hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was performed, where no variable in the 2019 model was significant; while for 2020, health, geographic, and sociodemographic characteristics variables were significant. In the analysis where the 'year' variable becomes independent, only model 4, which considers all variables, was valid (p=0.018). The variables 'area of residence' and 'wealth index' were also significant. To conclude, the 2020 pandemic year for COVID-19 had no impact on the time since last dental care visit among elderly Peruvians, though factors such as area of residence and wealth index were found to be associated with the time since last dental care visit.

Self-Reported Dietary Choices and Oral Health Care Needs during COVID-19 Quarantine: A Cross-Sectional Study

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the healthcare system, including dentistry. However, it is not entirely clear whether affected patients' willingness for regular dental visits and preventive behaviors with regards oral hygiene and diet. This is essential to understanding the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the acceleration of dental issues in the future. It was aimed at checking the level of dental visit avoidance, self-reported oral health needs, and dietary changes. This cross-sectional questionnaire study conducted in Poland (n = 2574; mean age 44.4 ± 15.6; female 56.3%) assessed nutritional habits and dental care changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. As demonstrated, nearly half of the responders (47.1%) avoided regular dental visits, while only 0.5% used online consultations. Fears related to potential cross-contamination in dental offices dropped from 25% to 11.4% and were associated with increased BMI and age (p < 0.05). Sweet snacking/drinking confirmed 19.1%/33.2% subjects. Self-reported oral health care needs (tooth stain, calculus, gingivitis, loss of fillings) were related to frequent snacking and poor oral hygiene (p < 0.05). The study highlights that pandemic periods are covered by eating and drinking changes combined with inadequate hygiene and dental care impose health complaints in the oral cavity. This can magnify both nutritional and interrelated oral health issues, highlighting the need to implement preventive and mitigation measures.