OTS - Dental disaster: One year after first lockdowns dentists around the world confront the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on people's oral health: higher incidence of tooth decay and more advanced gum disease (part 1)
2021. March 18. 08:00
Geneva, Switzerland, 18 March, 2021 (APA/OTS) - Changing routines:
people skipping twice-daily toothbrushing, snacking between meals
at home, and not visiting the dentist - Ahead of World Oral Health
Day (WOHD) on Saturday 20 March and one year into the pandemic, FDI
councillors and members say they are seeing first-hand the
catastrophic aftermath of the virus on the health of people's teeth
and gums in dental practices around the globe.
"Let's call it for what it is-a dental disaster," said Dr
Gerhard Konrad Seeberger, president of FDI World Dental Federation.
"Restrictions have certainly played a part in oral health
hesitancy, but they don't tell the whole story."
During the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, dental
practices around the world were forced to close. For two to three
months, all dental appointments had to be postponed or cancelled,
except for urgent emergency treatments. The World Health
Organization reported that oral health services were among the most
affected essential health services because of the COVID-19
pandemic, with 77 per cent of countries reporting partial or
complete disruption.
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Between the first and second wave, dental practices in many
countries were able to reopen. Dentists have always abided by the
most stringent infection prevention and control protocols and have
also revised hygiene measures mandated by governments during the
COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, a recent survey indicates that oral
health professionals have significantly lower SARS-CoV-2 infection
rates than other healthcare workers in most parts of the world.
Despite this, many people have still avoided routine check-ups
and only visit the dentist once they are in extreme pain. Many have
developed advanced tooth decay and related complications, including
infections, which makes treatment more complex.
Today, dentists are confronting the fallout from a year of
disrupted dental care and treatment. Professor Paulo Melo, an FDI
Councillor who teaches and practices dentistry in Porto, Portugal
has seen a dozen of high-risk patients who were afraid of being
infected with COVID-19 and postponed their appointments. High-risk
patients are encouraged to have a dental check-up every three to
six months. Instead, many patients have waited nine months to a
year, or more, between appointments. Many have reported severe
toothaches and complications, leading to extractions for some and
endodontic treatments for others.
"During the pandemic, high-risk patients have tended to develop
more than one problem, often exhibiting three or four at the same
time because too much time has gone by without a check-up," said
Melo. "Problems typically include caries lesions and gum disease."
"Dental caries that could have been treated with a simple
restoration have now gone to the stage of apical periodontitis and
abscesses, which call for more sophisticated treatment," said Dr
Vanishree MK, a Professor in Public Health Dentistry, based in
Bangalore, India. "Patients should set aside their fear and not
postpone essential, routine dental treatment."
"One of the dramatic consequences of the pandemic is that oral
health issues that were not considered urgent during the outbreak
of the pandemic did in fact became urgent after having to wait two
months to seek treatment," said Dr Maria Fernanda Atuesta
Mondragon, president of the Colombian Dental Federation and FDI
councillor. "We've seen some patients undergoing orthodontic
treatment who have lost the gaps that were created for their teeth
to align, while others have developed significant periodontal
issues."
"Teenagers usually suffer from dental caries, and I've observed
an increasing level of tooth decay in this age group," said Dr
Nahawand Abdulrahman Thabet, who practices in Cairo, Egypt, and is
an FDI councillor. "A 15-year-old patient of mine admitted he had
been snacking more while stuck at home since the closure of his
school. I imagine thousands of kids his age are in a similar
situation."
The pandemic's repeated lockdowns, restrictions on people's
movements and work-at-home edicts have all contributed to shifting
daily habits and behaviours, ultimately impacting people's oral
health.
Modelling good oral care habits like day and night brushing is
imperative, according to a global research study(1) conducted by
Unilever, which found that children mirror parents' behaviours at a
detriment to their own health. Children are seven times more likely
to skip brushing if their parent does not brush day and night.
Surveyed dentists agreed that the change in children's oral care
habits stemmed from the change in parents' routines. Despite the
ongoing challenges with the pandemic, it is crucial for parents to
prioritise their oral care routines as well as those of their
children.
Dr Seeberger emphasized that "people must not be afraid to
visit the dentist. Safeguarding oral health is of paramount
importance to ensure general health, well-being and a good quality
of life."
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(1) Unilever Global Research Summary Report 2021: Attitudes,
Behaviours and Experiences of Oral Health During the COVID-19
Pandemic was conducted in November-December 2020 with 6,734 parents
in 8 countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Italy,
Ghana, and Vietnam (available 19 March 2021).
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