Retrospective evaluation of geriatric patients applying to a dentistry faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 has had a significant impact on dental procedures, as dentistry is one of the areas at the highest risk for the transmission of COVID-19. Aim: The aim of the present study was to determine the application density of geriatric patients during the pandemic and to investigate the most common reasons for referral to a dentistry faculty. Materials and Methods: For the study, the 1 year was divided into four equal periods of 3 months, and the number of patients examined in these periods; the age and gender information of the patients, their systemic conditions, and the primary reasons for admission were recorded from the patient files. Results: The total number of geriatric patients who were examined during this process was determined as 848. According to the periods, the number of patients who were examined was the lowest in the 1st period (53 [6.3%]) and the highest in the 4th period (349 [41.2%]). For all four periods, it was determined that the most common reason for the application was prosthetic reasons (39.4%), the most common comorbid disease was hypertension (37.7%), and cancer patients applied statistically significantly less in the 1st period (P = 0.040). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the number of dental patients has gradually increased for the 1st year of COVID-19 cases. Although there was no statistical difference between the periods in terms of pain, alveolitis, need for restoration due to fracture, trauma, etc., COVID-19 had significant effects on dental applications, as in many areas.