Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Care of Babies and Children

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic impacted people's lives and also dental and medical care. Objective To evaluate parents' attitudes toward their children's dental care and habits during the early and intermediate stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Material and Methods A structured online questionnaire containing 22 questions (available from August 19th to September 18th, 2020) was used. The parents of babies and children (aged 0-6 years) who were visiting the Baby Clinics of the Dental Department were eligible to participate in this study. Results During the stay-at-home orders, only 21.1% of the parents continued to take their child to the pediatrician for routine follow-up; 22.6% took the children to the doctor only due to an emergency. Most parents (53.5%) reported being very afraid of going out with their babies/ children during the pandemic and became infected. Most parents (84.9%) reported having doubts about maintaining their baby/child’s oral health guidelines during quarantine, and 81.1% had doubts about what to do in case of eruption of their baby/ child’s teeth. Some parents reported a decrease in the oral hygiene and eating habits of their babies/ children during the pandemic. The parents with a reduced income reported a significantly greater reduction in oral hygiene habits. Conclusions During the early and intermediate stages of the pandemic, when stay-at-home orders were suggested, parents of children aged 0-6 were afraid to take their children to medical and dental appointments. Besides that, these caregivers also claimed that their family routines of food and oral hygiene were altered.