LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF THE DENTAL IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN A REFERENCE SERVICE IN RIO DE JANEIRO

• Autor(a) principal: Letieri, Aline dos Santos
• Data de Publicação: 2024
• Outros Autores: Souza, Marina Antonino Nunes, Marques, Vivian de Oliveira, Castro, Gloria Fernanda Barbosa de Araújo
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Hygeia (Uberlândia)
• Texto Completo: https://seer.ufu.br/index.php/hygeia/article/view/70821
• topic: COVID-19; Pessoas com deficiência; Comportamento; COVID-19; Disabled persons; Behavior

The objective of this retrospective longitudinal study was to assess whether the interruption of care due to COVID-19 had an impact on the oral health and behavior of pediatric patients with disabilities. The medical records of all patients treated at a reference center during 2022 were evaluated, obtaining demographic, dental and behavioral information at the initial, pre- and post-pandemic moments. Descriptive statistics and chi-square, Student's t and Fisher tests were performed. The medical records of 71 patients were included, with a mean age of 7.24±4.16 years, 56.3% boys and 78.9% with neurobehavioral alterations. In the post-pandemic period, 70.4% of patients had some need for treatment, while 57.7% in the initial consultation and 22.5% in the pre-pandemic period. Good behavior was observed in 76.1% of patients both post-pandemic and in the initial consultation and in 84.5% in the pre-pandemic. Of the 17 patients who had bad post-pandemic behavior, 12 had never behaved this way before (p=0.02). Protective stabilization was statistically more used post than pre-pandemic (p=0.01). A worsening in the oral health and behavior of pediatric patients with disabilities due to COVID-19 was observed, returning to conditions similar to those of the first consultation.