What is the Association Between Income Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Children’s Dental Care?

Burgette, Jacqueline M.; Weyant, Robert J.; Ettinger, Anna; Miller, Elizabeth; Ray, Kristin N.

Background The degree to which children experience unmet need for dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its association with pandemic-related household job or income loss, is unknown. Methods The authors performed a cross-sectional household survey of 348 families in Pittsburgh, PA during the week June 25 to July 2, 2020. Unmet need for child dental care and pandemic-related household job or income loss were assessed using caregiver self-report. Results Caregivers reported that the greatest unmet child health care need during the COVID-19 pandemic was dental care (16%) followed by medical care for a well visit or vaccination (5%). Approximately 40% of caregivers reported job loss or a decrease in household income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We found a significant association between the probability of unmet child dental care and pandemic-related household job or income loss (P=.022). Losing a job or experiencing a decrease in income due to the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with unmet child dental care (Relative Risk, 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 2.88). Conclusions In our sample, three times as many households reported unmet dental care for a child compared to unmet medical care. Unmet child dental care was more common in households where pandemic-related job or income loss occurred. Practical Implications If unmet dental care continues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, non-traditional strategies for delivering dental care can be considered to improve access to dental care for children, such as teledentistry and oral health prevention services in primary care settings.