Di Spirito Federica, Amato Alessandra, Di Palo Maria Pia, Ferraro Giuseppe A, Baroni Adone, Serpico Rosario, Contaldo Maria
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84084 Salerno, Italy.
Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy.
Children (Basel). 2022 Dec 10;9(12):1942. doi: 10.3390/children9121942.
In addition to the direct impact of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, the COVID-19 pandemic reports multiple effects on people's health and psycho-physical well-being. In the dental field, oral hygiene sessions, regular dental check-ups, and aerosol-generating procedures were commonly postponed, thus resulting in repercussions on oral health also favored by the changing eating and oral hygiene habits during the multiple lockdowns. Furthermore, dental settings and practices were generally perceived as at high risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission, thus unsafe, and by general and pediatric dentists themselves. Last, the consequences of stress related to deprivation of social life and playful activities should not be underestimated in children, exposing them to the deleterious effects of bad oral habits, with repercussions on the balanced growth and development of the stomatognathic system. The present work intends to analyze the medium-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on pediatric oral and dental care provision, reviewing pediatric dentistry practice and oral and dental needs of pedodontics patients during the first peak and the various waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, and lessons learned.
除了新冠病毒感染的直接影响外，新冠疫情还对人们的健康和身心健康产生了多种影响。在牙科领域，口腔卫生护理、定期牙科检查和气溶胶生成操作通常被推迟，再加上多次封锁期间饮食和口腔卫生习惯的改变，也对口腔健康产生了影响。此外，牙科诊所和诊疗操作通常被认为存在新冠病毒传播的高风险，因此不安全，无论是普通牙医还是儿童牙医自己都这样认为。最后，儿童因社交生活和娱乐活动受限而产生的压力后果不可低估，这使他们容易养成不良口腔习惯，对口腔颌面部系统的平衡生长发育产生影响。本研究旨在分析新冠疫情对儿童口腔和牙科护理服务的中期和长期影响，回顾新冠疫情第一波高峰及各波疫情期间儿童牙科诊疗实践以及儿童牙科患者的口腔和牙齿需求，并总结经验教训。
