Long-Term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Care Delivery in Poland: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis

IF 3.2 3区医学 Q1 DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE

International dental journal Pub Date : 2025-03-22 DOI:10.1016/j.identj.2025.02.024

Kacper Łaganowski , Martyna Ortarzewska , Agata Czajka-Jakubowska , Anna Surdacka , Kacper Nijakowski

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction and aims

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted healthcare systems, including dentistry. This retrospective analysis aims to evaluate long-term changes in the spectrum of performed dental procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic based on the example of the university specialized centre in Poznan.

Methods

We explored the patient dataset from the University Center of Dentistry and Specialized Medicine (Poznan, Poland) covering the period from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2023. Services performed during the prepandemic (2017-2019), pandemic (2020), and postpandemic (2021-2023) periods were compared. Selected procedures in restorative dentistry, endodontics, dental surgery, and dental radiology were analyzed in detail, including data for both children and adults.

Results

Our study analyzed a total of 342,112 patient medical records, including 158,882 conservative procedures and 101,556 surgical procedures. During the pandemic, there was a significant reduction in conservative procedures, particularly commercial services. In the postpandemic period, the number of refunded restorations and endodontic treatments for anterior teeth increased significantly, which was not observed for commercial procedures. A notable disruption between surgical and conservative procedures occurred during the first wave of the pandemic. The prepandemic period and the first quarter of the year were more conducive to conservative and endodontic treatments.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant long-term shift from preventive and conservative dentistry into surgical interventions. Although the overall number of services provided has increased, more patients are opting for procedures that do not require out-of-pocket expenses.

Clinical Relevance

The pandemic has a lasting impact on the clinical decisions made by dental patients, with a greater preference for reimbursed and surgical services.

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来源期刊

International dental journal 医学-牙科与口腔外科

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

6.10%

发文量

159

审稿时长

63 days

期刊介绍： The International Dental Journal features peer-reviewed, scientific articles relevant to international oral health issues, as well as practical, informative articles aimed at clinicians.