Repercussion of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Paediatric Dentistry

Abstract

After approximately a year since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has emerged, numerous studies have shown how it impacted the world of pediatric dentistry. This study aims to put into light these impacts on the pediatric dentist as well as the children and caregivers; and also show how the pediatric dentist adapted and improved its work in order to still be able to treat the child patient. During COVID-19 pandemic, a drastic decrease of treatments performed in pediatric dentistry took place due to lockdown and regulations established by most countries around the world. To this decrease was added an apparent shift of the treatments themselves, focusing more on emergencies rather than elective treatments. The pediatric dentist had to adapt to the changes brought by the pandemic by establishing and following a strict protocol in order to avoid any risk of contamination. This pandemic also highlighted many social and economical discrepancies, as some population around the world did not have the means or simply access to the same level of care.