The Assessment of Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients Receiving Orthodontic Treatment.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the difficulties experienced by patients receiving orthodontic treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate the problems experienced by orthodontic patients, along with their attitudes toward these problems.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey study including a total of 502 patients (291 female; 211 male) receiving orthodontic treatment at a public or private clinic was conducted via a web-based questionnaire.

RESULTS

Of all participants, 70.1% (352) were between the ages of 12 and 18 and 77.1% (387) were treated in a public clinic. According to the results, 97.3% (372) of the patients in the public clinic and 71.1% (79) of the patients in the private clinics had not been able to continue their treatment for 2 months or longer. Most of the participants were concerned about extended treatment duration (349, 69.5%) during this period. While the most common problems in patients with fixed appliances were soft tissue irritation (230, 52.5%), bracket failure (142, 32.4%), gingival swelling (88, 20.1%), and pain (88, 20.1%); there were issues of new spaces between teeth (41, 64.1%), pain (37, 57.8%), and gingival swelling (29, 45.3%) among patients with removable appliances.

CONCLUSION

Most patient appointments were delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients experienced various problems with their treatment, and as a result, concerns about extended treatment duration increased. Therefore, orthodontists should pay more attention to teleorthodontics during the pandemic process.