Reasons for applying to pediatric dental clinics during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

BACKGROUND an‎d AIM: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused changes in both patient profile and dental services due to the high risk of COVID-19 transmission in dental clinics. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reasons for applying to the pediatric dental clinics. METHODS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a questionnaire was given to the parents of systemically healthy children aged 1-14 years who applied to the paedodontics clinics for oral examinations. The families were asked about their sociodemographic status, reasons for the application, and their opinions about the pandemic. The obtained data were analyzed using chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman’s rank correlation, and binary logistic regression analysis tests. RESULTS: While the most common reason for presentation was toothache (49.8%), the percentage of the patients who applied to the Pediatric Dental Clinic, School of Dentistry, Inönü University, Malatya, Turkey, with urgent reasons was 58.2%. There was an increase in the urgent application in children with low income and younger children (P < 0.010). A negative correlation was found between the urgent applications and income level (r = -0.100, P = 0.014). CONCLUSION: In the COVID-19 and similar outbreaks that may occur in the future, it is of great importance for pediatric dentists to be able to effectively manage urgent applications in children to protect public health and reduce contamination.