Posted: December 2nd, 2022

Oral Health and COVID-19

Oral Health and COVID-19

List of ten citations for the studies that I plan to review as part of my paper.

Brian, Z & Weintraub, J.A. (2020). Oral health and COVID-19: Increasing the need for
prevention and access, Preventing chronic disease, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.200266
Crawford, E. & Taylor, N. (2020). The effective use of an e-dentistry service during the
COVID-19 crisis. Journal of orthodontics 47 (4), 330-337. DOI: 10.1177/1465312520949557
Dziedzic, A., Tanasiewicz, M., & Tysiac-Mista, M. (2020). Dental care provision during
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: The importance of continuous support for vulnerable patients. Medicine (Kaunas, Lithuania), 50 (6), 294. DOI: 10.3390/medicina56060294
Giudice, A., Barone, S., Muraca, D., Averta, F., Antonelli, A. & Fortunato, L. (2020). Can
teledentistry improve the monitoring of patients during the Covid-19 dissemination? A descriptive pilot study. International Journal of environmental research and public health, 17 (10). p 3399. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103399
Hajek, A., De Bock, F., Huebl, L., Kretzler, B. & Konig, H.H. (2021). Postponed dental visits
during the COVID-19 pandemic and their correlations. Evidence from the nationally representative COVID-19 snapshot monitoring in Germany ( COSMO). Healthcare, 9 (1), 50, https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9010050
Kranz, A.M., Gahlon, G. Dick, A.W. & Stein, B.D. (2021). Characteristics of U.S. adults
delaying dental care due to COVID-19 pandemic, JDR clinical and translational research, 6 (1), 8-14. DOI: 10.1177/2380084420962778

Luzzi, V., Lerardo, G., Bossu, M. & Polimeni, A. (2020). Paediatric oral health during and after
the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of pediatric dentistry, 31(1), p 20-26 , https://doi.org/10.1111/ipd.12737
Mathivanan, A. Gopalakrishnan, J.R., Dhayanithi, A., Narmatha, M., Bharathan, K., & Saranya,
K. (2020). Teledentistry: is it the future of rural dental practice? A cross-sectional study. Journal of pharmacy & biogllied sciences, 12 (suppl 1), p 304-307. DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_91_20
Sirin, D.A. & Ozcelik, F. (2021). The relationship between Covid-19 and the dental damage
stage determines by radiological examination. Oral radiology, 3: 1-10. Advance online publication 17: 200266, DOI: 10.1007/s11282-020-00497-0
Yang, F., Yu, L., Qin, D., Hua, F. & Song, G. (2020). Online consultation and emergency
management in paediatric dentistry during the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan: A retrospective study. International Journal of paediatric dentistry, 31 (1), 5-11, https://doi.org/10.1111/ipd.12722

Oral Health and COVID-19
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the world in diverse ways. Some of the negative outcomes of the pandemic include economic collapse, unemployment, closure of businesses, and disruption of local and international travel. The highly infectious disease has affected the health of individuals who cannot visit a healthcare facility to access non-emergency services. The impact on oral health is due to the closure of dental care facilities and oral healthcare disparities. The precaution started on March 16th, 2020 when the American Dental Association recommended that all dentists should postpone elective dental care. The association recommended that only emergency dental care was a pandemic due to the prevailing risk of transmission of the virus. According to the association, the dental care professionals could resume oral health services earliest April 6th, 2020 (Brian, Z & Weintraub, 2020). Studies suggest that nearly 50 percent of American adults postponed their dental care as a result of the COVID-19 infectious virus. Pediatricians indicate that children are high-risk transmitters of the virus and thus dentists are shy to accept non-emergency pediatric dental care services. The high risk of infection affects the access to dental care since dentists are cautious of getting infected by a co-worker or patient.
Impact of COVID-19 on Oral Health
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in various ways including undermining access to oral health services. The impact on oral health is due to the closure of dental care facilities and oral healthcare disparities. Research shows that oral healthcare services increase the risk of transmission of viral disease. The precaution started on March 16th, 2020 when the American Dental Association recommended that all dentists should postpone elective dental care. The association recommended that only emergency dental care was a pandemic due to the prevailing risk of transmission of the virus. According to the association, the dental care professionals could resume oral health services earliest April 6th, 2020 (Brian, Z & Weintraub, 2020). The recommendation led to a postponement of the dental care services until a later date when the risk of the virus would subsidize. Lack of access to healthcare services reduces the risk of dental complications.
According to Hajek et al. (2021), a study with 974 participants suggested that 22 percent of the respondents postponed dental care visits. Among the 22 percent, 72 percent of the participants postponed regular dental care examination while 19.6 percent postponed planned therapy. Another study by Kranz et al. (2021) suggests that nearly 50 percent of American adults postponed their dental care as a result of the COVID-19 infectious virus. The postponement of the dental care services impacts the health of the adults negatively. Hajek et al. (2021) show that postponed dental care can increase the risk of adverse health outcomes. Luzzi et al. (2020) show that pediatric oral health is at a risk due to the pandemic. The failure of parents to take children for dental care increases the risk of adverse outcomes. Pediatricians indicate that children are high-risk transmitters of the virus and thus dentists are shy to accept non-emergency pediatric dental care services. For example, Sirin and Ozcelik (2021) indicate a remarkable relationship between the risk of COVID-19 with the dental damage stage. The relationship demonstrates that with failure to visit the dental care clinics regularly, the oral health of the population continues to deteriorate.
Prevention of Dentists from COVID-19
The American Dental Association issued a declaration to close the dental care facilities to avoid the risk of infection. One of the factors was because dental care services include aerosol-generating procedures that increase the risk of virus transmission. The dental care professionals closed their facilities for fear of getting infected with the virus from a patient or a co-worker. A study of 650 dental care professionals across 30 countries demonstrates that 66 percent of the respondents wanted to keep their clinics closed. According to Kranz et al. (2021), indicated that 87 percent of the dentists were afraid of getting infected with the virus from a patient. According to American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute (2020) indicates that 97 percent of the visits were only emergency cases. After the association announced that the dental care clinics would reopen gradually in May, the patients did not immediately resume their planned visits. Dentists continued to see the majority of patients with emergency cases unlike planned visits or normal visits to treat oral diseases.
The public started taking extra measures to avoid the risk of infections. While some canceled their monthly or regular visits, others postponed them until the infections subsidized. Government measures to execute lockdown measures put the fear in the public that going out to public places was a risk to their health. For example, the government asked people to avoid going out if it was necessary or doing a morning run. Some of the services the government termed as non-essential were closed. For example, gyms, schools, beauty, and barbershops were closed. Kranz et al. (2021) reveal that 57.6 percent of the patients had postponed their dental visit while another 44.4 percent reported that they would visit the dental clinic after three months when the pandemic subsides. The statistics demonstrate that both the dentists and the public are taking extra measures to prevent the risk of infection.
Strategies to Enhance Access to Dental Care
The pandemic offers an opportunity for the dental care professionals to shift to non-aerosol-generating procedures, prevention-centric approaches, and limit surgical interventions. According to Crawford and Taylor (2020), the effective use of e-dentistry service during the COVID-19 pandemic can increase the response measures against the virus. The study shows that a virtual office approach is critical in overcoming the barriers related to dental care during the pandemic. A virtual office approach can increase access to healthcare services related to dental care. Crawford and Taylor (2020) show that healthcare workers can provide dental services and prescribe medication to patients without physical contact. Video conferencing increases the opportunity of boosting access to healthcare services for people across a wide geographical area.
Giudice et al. (2020) carried out a descriptive pilot study to show that teledentistry can enhance access and monitoring of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another study by Yang et al. (2020) demonstrates that consultation for normal and emergencies and management of pediatric dentistry can increase when dentists embrace the online approach. Giudice et al. (2020) and Yang et al. (2020) emphasize that dentists should align their healthcare providers with the new reality. The new reality will comprise the adoption of teledentistry to facility access and reduce the risk of transmission of the virus. Yang et al. (2020) examine a Wuhan retrospective study to demonstrate that even some of the most affected areas are responding with creative measures to avoid the risk of treatment during the provision of care.
The dental care crisis requires a proactive approach to improve the health of the population. According to Brian and Weintraub (2020), the public should eat healthy diets, avoid fluoride exposure, and take dental sealant to improve the quality of health. Brian and Weintraub (2020) campaigns for prevention measures and increase access to dental care services. One of the suggestions of enhancing access is to examine the populations at risk such as minority groups, low-income families, low literacy individuals, and the elderly. Dziedzic et al. (2020) argue that one of the strategies of taking care of the population is to embrace continuous care for vulnerable populations. Some of the vulnerable populations that can be affected by the poor access to dental care services include minority groups, low-income families, low literacy individuals, and the elderly. The provision of care for the vulnerable populations needs to match with the new reality.
Conclusion
The American Dental Association issued a declaration to close the dental care facilities to avoid the risk of infection. The closure was the beginning of poor access to healthcare services related to adults. The public started taking extra measures to avoid the risk of infections. While some canceled their monthly or regular visits, others postponed them until the infections subsidized. Government measures to execute lockdown measures put the fear in the public that going out to public places was a risk to their health. Studies suggest that e-dentistry and teledentistry is one of the mechanisms to improve access to healthcare services and reduce the risk of transmission.

References
Brian, Z & Weintraub, J.A. (2020). Oral health and COVID-19: Increasing the need for
prevention and access, Preventing chronic disease, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.200266
Crawford, E. & Taylor, N. (2020). The effective use of an e-dentistry service during the
COVID-19 crisis. Journal of Orthodontics 47 (4), 330-337. DOI: 10.1177/1465312520949557
Dziedzic, A., Tanasiewicz, M., & Tysiac-Mista, M. (2020). Dental care provision during
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: The importance of continuous support for vulnerable patients. Medicine (Kaunas, Lithuania), 50 (6), 294. DOI: 10.3390/medicina56060294
Giudice, A., Barone, S., Muraca, D., Averta, F., Antonelli, A. & Fortunato, L. (2020). Can
teledentistry improve the monitoring of patients during the Covid-19 dissemination? A descriptive pilot study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (10). p 3399. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103399
Hajek, A., De Bock, F., Huebl, L., Kretzler, B. & Konig, H.H. (2021). Postponed dental visits
during the COVID-19 pandemic and their correlations. Evidence from the nationally representative COVID-19 snapshot monitoring in Germany (COSMO). Healthcare, 9 (1), 50, https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9010050
Kranz, A.M., Gahlon, G. Dick, A.W. & Stein, B.D. (2021). Characteristics of U.S. adults
delaying dental care due to COVID-19 pandemic, JDR Clinical and Translational Research, 6 (1), 8-14. DOI: 10.1177/2380084420962778
Luzzi, V., Lerardo, G., Bossu, M. & Polimeni, A. (2020). Paediatric oral health during and after
the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Pediatric Dentistry, 31(1), p 20-26 , https://doi.org/10.1111/ipd.12737
Mathivanan, A. Gopalakrishnan, J.R., Dhayanithi, A., Narmatha, M., Bharathan, K., & Saranya,
K. (2020). Teledentistry: is it the future of rural dental practice? A cross-sectional study. Journal of Pharmacy & Biogllied Sciences, 12 (suppl 1), p 304-307. DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_91_20
Sirin, D.A. & Ozcelik, F. (2021). The relationship between Covid-19 and the dental damage
stage determines by radiological examination. Oral Radiology, 3: 1-10. Advance online publication 17: 200266, DOI: 10.1007/s11282-020-00497-0
Yang, F., Yu, L., Qin, D., Hua, F. & Song, G. (2020). Online consultation and emergency
management in paediatric dentistry during the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan: A retrospective study. International Journal of Pediatric Dentistry, 31 (1), 5-11, https://doi.org/10.1111/ipd.12722

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