Trends in Visits to Dental Offices During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic

Kranz, Ashley M.; Chen, Annie; Gahlon, Grace; Stein, Bradley D.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created barriers to the delivery of health care services, including dental care. This study sought to quantify the change in dental visits in 2020 compared to 2019. Methods This retrospective, observational study examined the percent change in weekly visits to dental offices by state, nationally, and by county-level COVID incidence using geographic information from the mobile applications of 45 million cellular smartphones during 2019 and 2020. Results From March to August 2020, weekly visits to dental offices were 33% lower, on average, than in 2019. Weekly visits were 34% lower, on average, in counties with the highest COVID-19 rates. The greatest decline was observed during the week of April 12, 2020, when there were 66% fewer weekly visits to dental offices. The five states with the greatest declines in weekly visits between 2019 and 2020, ranging from declines of 38 to 53 percent, included California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Conclusions Weekly visits to US dental offices declined drastically during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although rates of weekly visits rebounded substantially by June 2020, rates remain about 20% lower than the prior year as of August 2020. These findings highlight the economic challenges faced by dentist due to the pandemic.