The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Spectrum of Performed Dental Procedures

Kacper Nijakowski, Kornela Cieślik, Kacper Łaganowski, Dawid Gruszczyński and Anna Surdacka
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Kacper Nijakowski: Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-812 Poznan, Poland
Kornela Cieślik: University Center of Dentistry and Specialized Medicine, 60-812 Poznan, Poland
Kacper Łaganowski: Student’s Scientific Group in Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-812 Poznan, Poland
Dawid Gruszczyński: Student’s Scientific Group in Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-812 Poznan, Poland
Anna Surdacka: Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-812 Poznan, Poland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered existing health care operations, including dentistry. The fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the need for increased protection measures have led to a reduction in the number of appointments and the range of performed procedures. Our study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (the pre-vaccine period) on the spectrum of performed dental services, with particular emphasis on the change in the proportion of conservative and surgical procedures. The patient base in the University Center of Dentistry and Specialized Medicine (Poznan, Poland) from two periods—pre-pandemic (1 February 2019–31 January 2020) and pandemic (1 February 2020–31 January 2021)—was analyzed. The number of dental services was standardized against the sum of all procedures in a given month. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of conservative procedures such as commercial restorations or filled canals has significantly decreased, while the number of surgical procedures has increased. The pandemic has undoubtedly affected the spectrum of dental procedures performed, especially in its acute phase. It is very important to return to performing conservative procedures and educating students in the former range while respecting all safety standards.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; pandemic; dentistry; dental procedures; conservative dentistry; dental surgery; tooth restoration; tooth extraction; dental services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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