Hilal YILANCI, Kevser KURT DEMİRSOY, Barış CANBAZ, Servet BOZKURT, Duygu SEVGİ

Evaluation of the Effect of COVID-19 on Patients Undergoing Orthodontic Treatment

Aim: COVID-19 necessitated a reassessment of existing work patterns in all professions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical and psychosocial effects of the pandemic on different orthodontic treatment groups. Material and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional survey study evaluated data from 235 volunteers aged 18 years and older who were receiving orthodontic treatment (mean age: 23.8+5.8 years; 83 male, 152 female). The 15-item questionnaire comprised three sections: sociodemographic characteristics, the psychosocial effects during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the physical/oral symptoms in orthodontic patients who had COVID-19. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results: Over half (53.2%) of participants stated they attended routine orthodontic follow-up visits and felt no concern about the risk of COVID-19 transmission, while 85.9% said they were happy to receive orthodontic treatment during the pandemic. In addition, 68.1% of the participants considered the pandemic to be advantageous for orthodontic treatment, most commonly because wearing masks concealed orthodontic wires (44.3%).The most pronounced intraoral finding among patients with COVID-19 was loss of taste (5.9±4.6). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic was found to have no serious negative psychosocial effects. Mask use was reported to be the greatest advantage, while dysgeusia was one of the most common oral findings.

Keywords:

COVID-19, Orthodontics, Pandemics, Braces, Clear Aligner Appliances,

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