Kuo Yun-Yu, Fang Jason Chen-Chieh, Wang I-Kuan, Huang Chiung-Shing, Chen Hui-Ling, Yen Tzung-Hai
Department of Dentistry and Craniofacial Orthodontics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Linkou, 333, Taiwan.
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, 204, Taiwan.
J Multidiscip Healthc. 2024 Apr 24;17:1847-1855. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S456588. eCollection 2024.
There is an overall paucity of data examining the specific details of orthodontic patients' patterns or orthodontic service disruptions possibly influenced by COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on orthodontic clinic disruption regarding the change in adult patients' characteristics and decisions of orthodontic treatment devices.
A retrospective sample of 311 patients receiving orthodontic treatment from 2018 to 2022 were collected and divided into two groups: before (n = 167) and during (n = 144) the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographics, dental indices, the index of complexity outcome and need (ICON), and the degree of treatment difficulty were analyzed.
There were fewer students among patients during the COVID-19 pandemic than before (24.5% versus 35.9%, P = 0.036). Compared with patients before the pandemic, more patients selected ceramic brackets or Invisalign during the pandemic (P = 0.022). There were higher percentage of class I dental malocclusions among patients during than before the COVID-19 pandemic (P = 0.044). Moreover, the ICON score and the score of the degree of treatment difficulty were both significantly lower for patients during than before the COVID-19 pandemic (63.9±14.0 versus 58.3±15.3, P=0.001 and 7.4±2.6 versus 6.8±2.6, P=0.049, respectively).
The COVID-19 pandemic influenced the characteristics and decisions of orthodontic patients. Those who still came to the orthodontic clinic despite the COVID-19 outbreak may have been those with less malocclusion severity and treatment difficulty. Besides, during the time of covid-19 pandemic, more patients chose ceramic bracket and Invisalign as their orthodontic treatment device rather than conventional or self-ligating metal brackets.
目前总体上缺乏关于正畸患者模式的具体细节或可能受新冠疫情影响的正畸服务中断情况的数据。因此，本研究旨在探讨新冠疫情对正畸诊所中断的影响，涉及成年患者特征的变化以及正畸治疗装置的选择。
收集了2018年至2022年接受正畸治疗的311例患者的回顾性样本，并分为两组：新冠疫情之前（n = 167）和疫情期间（n = 144）。分析了人口统计学、牙齿指数、复杂性结局与需求指数（ICON）以及治疗难度程度。
新冠疫情期间患者中的学生人数比之前少（24.5%对35.9%，P = 0.036）。与疫情之前的患者相比，疫情期间更多患者选择了陶瓷托槽或隐适美（P = 0.022）。新冠疫情期间患者中I类牙颌面畸形的比例高于疫情之前（P = 0.044）。此外，疫情期间患者的ICON评分和治疗难度程度评分均显著低于疫情之前（分别为63.9±14.0对58.3±15.3，P = 0.001；7.4±2.6对6.8±2.6，P = 0.049）。
新冠疫情影响了正畸患者的特征和选择。尽管新冠疫情爆发仍前往正畸诊所的患者可能是牙颌面畸形严重程度和治疗难度较小的患者。此外，在新冠疫情期间，更多患者选择陶瓷托槽和隐适美作为正畸治疗装置，而非传统或自锁金属托槽。
