The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Utilization of Pediatric Dental Care of Egyptian Children: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: The novel Coronavirus pandemic may have a strong influence on the utilization of emergency pediatric dental services. Aim: To assess how the novel COVID-19 pandemic influenced emergency pediatric dental treatment utilization patterns in Egypt. Methods: Data of children seeking urgent dental care for the first time for 20 consecutive working days before the declaration of the partial curfew in Egypt [Group (1)] and another 20 days after that date [Group (2)] were retrieved from the Electronic Archive Filing System Unit and statistically analyzed. Results: The study included data of 705 children (Group (1): 470, Group (2): 235); where the number of children reduced to about half. There were non-significant differences between Group (1 & 2) regarding different types of emergency and non-emergency treatment requirements. Most of the children before (99.1%) and after curfew (98.3%) sought emergency treatment due to dental caries. Conclusions: COVID-19 pandemic influenced the number of children seeking urgent dental services; however, the treatment requirements are nearly similar. The proportion of pediatric emergency and non-emergency dental complaints are comparable before and after the partial curfew.