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Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Anxiety and Oral Health Related Quality of Life
Weyman, Alissa
Weyman, Alissa
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2023
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Oral Biology
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http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/8441
Abstract
Objective- To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental anxiety (DA) and oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) proxy measures using electronic dental records from Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry (TUKSoD). Methods- A cross-sectional study comparing data before the COVID-19 Pandemic (G1) (N=4,516) and before (G2) (N=3,995) and after the vaccine was available (G3) (N=3,891) was analyzed for patients 18 and older. The independent variables are age, sex, race, diabetic status, hypertension status, and DA. The dependent variable – OHRQoL – has four components (trouble while chewing, speaking, embarrassment due to dental problems, and pain/ sensitivity) which were converted to a composite score for analysis. OHRQoL, were coded as good, fair, and poor. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess outcome differences across the three groups. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.
Results- The proportion of individuals with poor DA in G1, G2, and G3 were about 5%, 3%, and 4% respectively. The proportion of individuals with poor OHRQoL were 8%, 5%, and 4% in G1, G2, and G3, respectively. About 26%, 21%, 19% reported poor social interactions in G1, G2, and G3, respectively. About 1% of individuals in G1, G2, and G3 reported poor speaking. About 8%, 3%, and 5% reported poor chewing in G1, G2, and G3, respectively. About 4% of individuals in G1 and 3% in both G2 and G3 reported poor comfort. Significant differences in DA were observed between G1 vs G2 (p=<0.01) and G1 vs G3 (p=<0.01). Also, significant differences in OHRQoL between G1 vs G2 (p=<0.01), G2 vs G3 (p=0.01), and G1 vs G3 (p-value=<0.01). Associations between DA and OHRQoL were seen across G1, G2, and G3. Hypertension and diabetic status also seemed to be associated with OHRQoL at multiple points in this study.
Conclusion- Overall, OHRQoL and dental anxiety improved post COVID-19 vaccine availability compared to the pre-COVID-19 vaccine availability and the pre-COVID-19 pandemic. This could be attributed to increased health consciousness triggered by the COVID-19 events.
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