Is It Useful to Determine the Temperature of Children for COVID-19 Screening in the Dental Setting?

Abstract

Background: To date, the efficacy of temperature readings of children in the dental setting for COVID-19 screening has not been evaluated. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the usefulness of forehead temperature measurements in a dental clinic for COVID-19 screening in healthy children (without systemic disease) and in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Methods: Using an infrared thermometer, we recorded the forehead temperature of 200 pediatric patients (100 healthy children and 100 children with neurodevelopmental disorders). We performed temperature measurements “before”, “during”, and “after” the dental procedure. Oropharyngeal swabs were taken of all participants to detect SARS-CoV-2. Results: Sex, age, administration of local anesthesia, and use of rotary instrumentation did not affect the temperature values. In the children with neurodevelopmental disorders with a value of 1 on the Frankl behavior scale, the temperatures were significantly higher than in those with values of 2, 3, and 4 (p = 0.032, p = 0.029, and p = 0.03, respectively). The PCR for SARS-CoV-2 was positive for two patients (one healthy and the other with a neurodevelopmental disorder), whose “before” temperatures were 36.4 °C and 36.5 °C, respectively. Conclusions: Forehead temperatures increase during dental procedures and are conditioned by the patient’s behavior. An isolated temperature reading does not identify children infected by SARS-CoV-2.