The Impact Of COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients Receiving Orthodontic Treatment- An Online Questionnaire Cross Sectional Study

Bustati, Nour; Rajeh, Nada

Background The spread of COVID-19 has led to a major public health issue; most dental clinics were closed and millions of orthodontic patients were unable to complete their treatment, this study aimed to assess the challenges faced by patients receiving orthodontic treatment and their proffered solutions to overcoming these challenges during this pandemic. Methods An online questionnaire was developed and sent to patients receiving orthodontic treatment at a public or private clinic. Results 388 responses were analyzed. Mean age 20.4 ± 4 years, 75% (291) were females and 58% (226) received their treatment at a public clinic. 27.3% (106) of all participants were still unable to attend to their appointments and 69% (244) stated that closing of the clinic was the main reason for missing their appointments. Depending on their type of appliance the patients faced different problems and chose multiple ways to deal with them. The majority of participants had Fixed Appliances 84% (327) and only 21% (64) of them stated that they had no problem compared to 39% (11) and 36% (8) for Removable Appliances and Clear aligners groups respectively. Conclusion The COVID19 pandemic has significant impact on orthodontic treatments. Almost each orthodontic patient had to stop attending to their appointment which put them in complicated situations and in fear of delayed treatment. Patients from a public clinic and patients with fixed appliances reported more problems than others. More attention should be giving to teleorthodontics, also orthodontists should prepare their patients to deal with some of the problems related to their appliances when possible.