Skip to main content
Download PDF

The impact of COVID-19 on individual oral health: a scoping review

BMC Oral Health volume 22, Article number: 422 (2022) Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Poor oral health due to dental caries is one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases worldwide. It has a significant impact on individuals across the lifespan and is a leading cause of preventable hospitalizations. The impacts of COVID-19 on oral health at the practice level are well documented, but gaps in understanding the impact on individual oral health remain. This review addresses this gap.

Methods

Using a JBI scoping review process we mapped and summarized the evidence to identify the impact of COVID-19 on individual oral health. Key search terms were developed, and searches were undertaken by an experienced research librarian.

Results

The 85 included studies were conducted in 23 countries from 5 regions across the world classified using the United Nations Geoscheme system. The majority (82/85) were quantitative, 2 were reviews and there was one qualitative interview study. Cross-sectional surveys were the most common data collection approach followed by an analysis of clinical data, analysis of internet trends and other online methods. Five key areas were identified including changes to the provision of emergency dental services, provision of routine oral health services, oral hygiene maintenance at home, changes in dietary preferences, alternative models of dental provision and help-seeking and attitudes towards dental care in the future.

Conclusions

This scoping review has demonstrated that the pandemic has impacted on oral health at the individual level. It is important that we are aware of these impacts and ensure that support systems are in place to overcome future periods where access to dental care might be compromised. The provision of preventive care remains a vital first step in ensuring good overall oral health as is paramount during periods where access to dental treatment might be limited.

Peer Review reports

Background

Poor oral health is one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide consuming one-fifth of out-of-pocket health expenditure [1,2,3]. In 2017, it was estimated that oral diseases affect close to 3.5 billion people worldwide, with caries (dental decay) of permanent teeth being the most common condition [4]. It is estimated that 44% of all people worldwide have untreated caries in primary and permanent teeth [5]. International data indicates that dental caries is one of the most prevalent health conditions [6,7,8] and a leading cause of preventable hospitalization [6]. Poor oral health is also associated with several other chronic diseases including diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease [9,10,11,12]. Oral health is impacted by a range of social, economic, environmental and political determinants [13] and the impact of COVID-19 on oral health is hypothesized to be significant [14].

The World Health Organization declared the global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic on March 11th, 2020 [15]. The impact of COVID-19 across the globe has been significant with more than 6.5 million deaths reported to the WHO to date [16]. A range of measures were implemented to manage the virus including mask-wearing, restrictions on movement, physical distancing, vaccinations, and various forms of lockdowns [17,18,19,20]. These measures aimed to contain the virus and limit its impact on health care systems [19]. Throughout the pandemic, healthcare has been considered an essential service however access to some services has been limited or new service models introduced. This has resulted in changes to prevention and treatment services for NCDs (like oral health) and as a consequence low utilisation rate of preventive services have been reported globally [3, 14, 21,22,23,24].

The immediate increase in stress and anxiety levels in response to the COVID-19 outbreak has impacted health-promoting behaviors, including oral hygiene [25, 26]. During the pandemic, an increase in prescribing antibiotics and opioid analgesics has been observed in oral health services [27,28,29]. Significant declines in the utilisation of dental services due to restrictions and regulations on the provision of non-urgent care during the lockdown have also been reported [14, 30, 31]. A recent study in the UK highlighted that reduced access to dental services and cessation of oral health improvement programmes (like supervised toothbrushing) indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a major impact on oral health and result in a widening of inequalities [14]. There is abundant information in the existing literature on the perspectives and experiences of oral health service providers during the COVID-19 pandemic (see, for example, [32,33,34,35,36]). However, information on the oral health impacts of COVID-19 at the individual level remains scant. As the first review in this specific area, our purpose was to undertake a comprehensive mapping and synthesis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oral health at an individual level.

Methods

Using a scoping review process our purpose was to explore the breadth or depth of the literature, map and summarize the evidence and identify or address knowledge gaps concerning the impact of COVID-19 on individual oral health [37, 38]. The review was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers’ Manual Methodology for JBI Scoping Reviews [37]. The review question collectively developed by the research team (including oral health and public health researchers and clinicians) was: ‘What is known about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on oral health at the individual level?’.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria, consistent with our review purpose were developed and are outlined in Table 1.

Table 1 Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
Full size table

A search strategy was developed in consultation with a specialist health librarian as recommended by the 2020 Methodology for JBI Scoping Reviews and peer-reviewed by using the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS) checklist [39]. A combination of terms related to two themes of ‘COVID-19 pandemic’ and ‘oral health’ were searched as both, keywords and subject headings (e.g., MeSH) in the titles and abstracts. Boolean operators were used to conduct the search and search limits were applied (see Table 2 for Medline search string). The Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist was used to guide the reporting of the review [40] (see Additional file 1).

Table 2 Search String for Medline
Full size table

The full search was conducted in Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), OVID, Proquest, Embase, Dentistry and Oral Health Sciences Source (DOSS) and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Search results were then saved and exported into EndNote, a bibliographic software program, to store, organize, and manage all results and then into Covidence [41], part of Cochrane’s systematic review toolkit. After the removal of duplicates, a four-step process was undertaken. One author (TK) independently screened all retrieved articles at the title and abstract stage, with other team members acting as independent second reviewers (VDS, RN, SD). Reviewer disagreements were flagged in Covidence as conflicts and were discussed by the team until consensus was achieved. This process was repeated at the full-text stage, with team discussion occurring where there were differences of opinion. The reference lists of included studies were hand searched and citations of all included studies were checked to ensure search completeness.

A data extraction tool was developed within Covidence and used to extract key characteristics of each included study in tabular format (see Additional file 2). Narrative summaries of the included studies were developed that described how the extracted data related to the aim of the review. Consistent with the guidelines for the effective reporting of scoping reviews [42] and the JBI framework [37] the final stage of the review included a thematic analysis of the key findings of the included studies. Study findings were imported into QSR NVivo with the coding of each line of text. These descriptive codes reflect the key aspects of the included studies related to the impact of COVID-19 at the individual level.

A preliminary protocol for this review was published in the Open Science Framework (OSF-https://osf.io/7t9bq/) preregistrations to enhance transparency and replicability and to reduce any publication or reporting biases.

Results

The search results for this review are outlined in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1
figure 1

PRISMA flowchart

Full size image

A total of 85 studies were included in the review. The United Nations Geoscheme system was used to classify the studies into regional groupings [43]. The studies were undertaken in the following regions: Americas, n = 17, Asia n = 38, Europe n = 25, Oceania n = 1. The highest number of studies were carried out in Brazil (n = 9), Turkey (n = 8) and China (n = 8). Two studies used international samples and 3 studies did not mention a specific geographic region. There were no studies located in Africa or Antarctica.

Data collection methods for the included studies varied with quantitative methods being used most frequently (n = 82). Table 3 provides an overview of the data collection tools.

Table 3 Data collection methods of included studies
Full size table

Our synthesis of the key findings of the included studies resulted in the development of the following themes: changes to the provision of emergency dental services, provision of routine oral health services, oral hygiene maintenance at home, changes in dietary preferences, alternative models of dental provision and help-seeking and attitudes to dental care in the future. These themes are reported below. The full dataset of the included studies is provided in Additional File 2.

Provision and utilisation of emergency oral health services

Most studies concluded that there was an increase in the provision and utilisation of emergency oral health services [44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60]. The key reasons for emergency visits included trauma, acute pulpitis, acute periodontitis and plaque-induced gingivitis/oral mucosal conditions [44, 59]. Studies reporting increases in emergency dental treatment included treatment for dental abscesses [49], temporary fillings [47], tooth extractions [60], antibiotic prescriptions [61], paediatric dental services [59] and orthodontic emergencies [53]. A study undertaken in Saudi Arabia reported that patients were afraid to seek dental care for life-threatening emergencies such as cellulitis during the pandemic [62]. There were some declines in the use of emergency services during the pandemic [62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70] with one study reporting that patients with significant comorbidities sought emergency dental services less frequently during the lockdown period [68].

Provision and utilisation of preventive and routine oral health services

Most studies reported that there was a decline in the provision and utilisation of routine oral health services [47,48,49, 52, 60, 64, 69, 71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91] with many studies reporting difficulties accessing oral health services (particularly during lockdown periods). One US study reported that 62% of adults reported delaying dental care due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the spring of 2020 [76]. In Brazil (a country that was hit hard in the first wave) dental procedures decreased from 47 million in the first part of 2019 to 15 million in 2020, representing an overall decrease of about 66% [82]. Similar declines were reported in an Australian study focusing on paediatric dental care [31]. Key barriers identified for not utilising routine oral healthcare services included fear of COVID-19 transmission, lack of oral health symptoms and high treatment costs. Routine oral health care for older dependant adults were affected by lockdowns with a significant reduction (81.14%) reported in one study [73]. Increases in the utilisation of preventive oral health interventions [59] were also reported in one study. Increases in tooth grinding and teeth clenching were reported in an analysis of Google trends internationally [92].

Oral hygiene maintenance at home

Self-medication or using home remedies for oral health issues were reported [93] with one study finding that parents medicated children with previously prescribed analgesics. Home remedies for orthodontic concerns like loose brackets, bands and loose archwires were also common [94]. Some studies reported that the frequency of oral hygiene maintenance at home increased [77], whilst others reported a decrease [90] or no change. One study reported that women had better oral hygiene behaviours than men throughout the pandemic [95]. The impact of the pandemic on toothbrushing frequency varied [96, 97] with one study from Wuhan showing that children brushed their teeth more during the pandemic [98], whilst another found that parents cared less for their children’s teeth during the pandemic [99]. Toothbrushing frequency was associated with the prevalence of oral problems people encountered [100] and those who had dental prostheses increased prosthesis cleaning during the pandemic [83]. Associations between the frequency of prosthesis and dental cleaning and improved Oral Health Quality of Life (OHRQoL) were also reported [83].

Changes in dietary preferences

The included studies show mixed results regarding the changes in dietary habits of individuals during the pandemic. Three studies reported an increase in sugary food consumption and the number of meals [96, 97, 101] with increases in consumption of sugars in the form of sweets, jam, honey, and molasses reported in a study from Iran [97]. One study showed that sugar consumption did not change significantly [90]. Very few studies reported that there was a positive change in nutritional status however one study reported that the consumption of sugar-sweetened, flavoured milk and juices, candy and chocolates reduced during the pandemic [97].

Alternative models of dental provision and online help-seeking

There was increased use of and satisfaction with teledentistry among dental patients during the pandemic [45, 68, 71, 75, 102,103,104]. A study by HEC da Silva, GNM Santos, AF Leite, CRM Mesquita, PT de Souza Figueiredo, PED Dos Reis, CM Stefani and NS de Melo [104] showed that 78% of patients preferred teledentistry and 92% patients would recommend the use of video consultations to other patients. It was reported that patients strongly agreed and were satisfied with teledentistry in 5 domains: the ease, comprehensiveness and helpfulness of the video consultations and the anxiety and satisfaction levels of the patient [103]. It was also reported that 70% of patients strongly agreed that the video consultations ran smoothly and 75.7% strongly agreed that they were comfortable accessing oral health services from home rather than travelling for the consultations [103]. The use of teledentistry for monitoring cancer in the oral, head and neck regions were well accepted by the patients and improved their quality of life [104]. Tele-dentistry was useful in assessing paediatric dental emergencies. 460 patients accessed the paediatric dental emergency services via telephone during the pandemic [102].

There was also an increase reported in the use of online searches and social media to address/express oral health-related concerns during the pandemic [62, 105,106,107,108,109]. Two studies explored key search terms utilised by those searching online with results showing that “toothache” and “corona-toothache” were used most frequently [105, 109]. One study focused on the use of Twitter throughout the pandemic with people tweeting about oral health impact, types of dental problems, managing symptoms at home, views on consequences of delaying dental treatment and experiences with accessing oral health services [106]. A similar study carried out using the Weibo platform found 12,603 posts related to toothache with 38.9% posts indicating that treatment for dental pain was affected by COVID-19 with many indicating that they couldn’t visit their dentist due to clinic closures [108]. Searches for “teledentistry” and “PPE were also popular [45]. One study showed that tweets related to dental needs were higher in 2020 as compared to 2019 whereas dental advice-related tweets were lower in 2020 as compared to 2019 [110].

Attitudes towards seeking oral healthcare in the future

Most studies reported that there was a negative impact on the attitudes of individuals towards oral healthcare in the future [54, 58, 62, 68, 77, 95, 99, 100, 106, 111,112,113,114,115,116,117,118]. In one study, 41% of patients reported that their greatest concern for oral health services in the future was the delay in completion of their dental treatment [95]. Patients undergoing orthodontic treatment were affected by lockdowns with some studies reporting that patients were anxious about resuming orthodontic treatments post lockdown [58, 113], concerns were also noted about outcomes due to the missed follow-up appointments [111].

Discussion

This scoping review aimed to undertake a comprehensive mapping and synthesis of key findings related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oral health at the individual level. Scoping reviews do not exclude studies based on study design or quality appraisals which enables a synthesis of findings that provides a useful starting point for future reviews and other research activity [37, 38].

Government responses to the spread of COVID-19 varied across the world with many countries utilising lockdowns to stem the transmission. Service restrictions and lockdowns in many places resulted in limitation or cessation of essential services including dental services in some areas [17,18,19,20]. Our initial searches highlighted that much of the published dental and oral health research related to COVID-19 focused on the impact at the service level including risks for staff and financial impacts on dental practices. Whilst these issues are important at the professional level, we were interested in the impact that COVID-19 was having on oral health at the individual level.

Findings from this review were not surprising with many studies highlighting the impact that prolonged lockdowns had on dental treatment services (particularly emergency services) and routine oral health and preventive services. More recent studies have confirmed the impact that lockdowns had on dental service use by children, adults and older adults in the UK [14] with similar declines in paediatric services reported in Australia [31]. It is logical that closure of dental practices led to increased emergency visits and that many people would wait too long to seek care. Concerns have been raised that this could have resulted in more patients than usual requiring admission for the management of acute dental infections that can threaten airways and result in the need for intensive care [119].

Routine oral health care and preventive practices are cornerstones of good oral health across the lifespan. Reduction in these services throughout the lockdowns may have increased in oral healthcare-related disparities for vulnerable groups [14, 87, 120]. Changes to daily oral hygiene practices and home maintenance (including toothbrushing) were reported in this review (including increases and decreases). Twice daily toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste continues to be recommended internationally to maintain oral hygiene with less frequent toothbrushing impacting overall oral health [121, 122]. Whilst changes in oral health behaviours were reported in the review the reasons for those changes were largely not reported. Stress and other disrupting events can affect the way people perceive their self-care needs and may impact people’s motivation to perform daily routines.

Changes in dietary preferences were reported in some studies with both increases and decreases in the consumption of sugary foods [97, 101]. High sugar consumption is a known risk factor for the development of dental caries [123]. A recent UK study showed that there were increases in reported purchases of confectionery, biscuits and sweet home cooking (all foods 'rich' in free sugars) among adults throughout the pandemic [14]. Whilst purchasing behaviours may not equate to consumption, high sugar consumption combined with reduced oral hygiene can lead to increases in dental disease.

The results of this review highlight the role that the internet played throughout the pandemic with many people using it for advice and/or information regarding oral health. Interruptions to dental services throughout the pandemic were challenging however access to quality information and evidence-based materials to support oral health care routines should be readily available. Help-seeking via the internet is common with previous studies highlighting using social media and search engines to find information about oral health is popular in some countries [124, 125]. However, concerns have been raised over the quality of the information provided by some sites [126]. The provision of quality information online would enable the continuation of daily oral health care routines throughout times of crisis and maybe something that dental practice, dental policymakers and other oral health-related service providers could consider in the future.

The use of teledentistry throughout the lockdown periods was reported within this review. Teledentistry may be useful to improve the ability to reach oral healthcare providers in times of crisis or to address service access issues [94], however further work is needed to explore the best models of provision (for example, prevention, consultations). In the absence of a face-to-face session with a dental professional, tele-dentistry may be a good option for oral health support and/or monitoring [45, 104]. However, teledentistry may not be available for those who do not have reliable access to technology and may increase inequalities for already vulnerable groups (rural, isolated).

Previous studies have highlighted that the widening inequalities in oral health cannot simply be “treated away” ([14]: p. 113) or addressed by increasing oral health care services. The pandemic has shown us that we need to reorient treatment systems to focus more on evidence-based systemic oral health improvement programmes like community water fluoridation, supervised toothbrushing programs, use of fluoride toothpaste to prevent the development of dental caries [14]. Whilst these activities are important, we also need to ensure that other oral health issues like periodontal disease and oral cancers that have significant economic costs [70] are included in our oral health improvement programmes in the future. Throughout the pandemic, we have also seen more emphasis on the role that oral and dental health professionals can play within the wider health system working more closely with other health providers in an integrated model of care [127]. More emphasis on these models will be central in future efforts to address oral health inequity and improve oral health across the globe [120, 127].

Many of the studies included in the review utilised cross-sectional, online, self-report surveys and existing datasets, with only one studyutilising qualitative methods. More qualitative studies could provide access to a deeper understanding of the factors that impact oral health at the individual level and could be used to inform the development of guidelines, policies and other information to improve oral health in the future [128, 129].

Limitations

The searches that formed the basis of this review were carried out from March 2020 to November 2021. These dates were chosen to capture the majority of studies published while countries across the globe were under the highest level of restrictions (including lockdowns in many places). With the emergence of Omicron in November 2021, many countries lifted lockdowns as part of their approach to living with COVID-19. Whilst the searches were comprehensive, we have only captured those studies that were published in the included databases in a specific period. There may have been other studies published outside of these periods. We also limited the search to studies published in English with full-text availability which may have meant that some other studies were excluded.

As the emphasis of a scoping review is on comprehensive coverage and synthesis of the key findings, rather than on a particular standard of evidence we did not undertake a quality assessment of the included studies. This has resulted in the inclusion of a wide range of study designs and methodologies with small samples, cross-sectional designs using self-reported measures and internet-based research methods. The results of these studies provide valuable insights into the key issues faced by individuals throughout the pandemic however they must be interpreted with caution considering any specific methodological limitations.

Future research in this area should focus on addressing some of these key limitations with more research exploring the direct impacts of COVID-19 on individual oral health required. This will enable the development of specific oral health prevention activities that support good oral health through times of crisis.

Conclusion

COVID-19 has impacted the oral health of many people across the globe, however, there are few reviews that have explored these impacts at the individual level. This review addresses this gap. The findings demonstrate that the pandemic has impacted the provision of emergency dental services, provision of routine oral health services, oral hygiene maintenance at home, changes in dietary preferences and the use of online information and help-seeking. It is important that we are aware of these impacts and ensure that support systems are in place to overcome future periods where access to dental care might be compromised. This will include ensuring patients have access to good quality oral health services and information including preventive care. A shift in focus that ensures a coordinated interdisciplinary approach consisting of treatment, education and prevention will reduce the pressure on emergency health care systems in the future.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].

References

  1. Peres MA, Macpherson LM, Weyant RJ, Daly B, Venturelli R, Mathur MR, Listl S, Celeste RK, Guarnizo-Herreño CC, Kearns C. Oral diseases: a global public health challenge. Lancet. 2019;394(10194):249–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. World Dental Federation: The challenge of oral disease—a call for global action. The Oral Health Atlas. 2nd edn. Geneva; 2015.

  3. COVID-19 significantly impacts health services for noncommunicable diseases [https://www.who.int/news/item/01-06-2020-covid-19-significantly-impacts-health-services-for-noncommunicable-diseases]

  4. James SL, Abate D, Abate KH, Abay SM, Abbafati C, Abbasi N, Abbastabar H, Abd-Allah F, Abdela J, Abdelalim A. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2018;392(10159):1789–858.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kassebaum N, Bernabé E, Dahiya M, Bhandari B, Murray C, Marcenes W. Global burden of untreated caries: a systematic review and meta-regression. J Dent Res. 2015;94(5):650–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW): Oral Health and Dental Care in Australia. Cat. DEN 231. AIHW; 2019.

  7. Benjamin RM. Oral health: the silent epidemic. Public Health Rep. 2010;125(2):158–9.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Selwitz RH, Ismail AI, Pitts NB. Dental caries. Lancet. 2007;369(9555):51–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV): Links between oral health and general health - the case for action. Melbourne: DHSV; 2011.

  10. Sheiham A, Watt RG. The Common Risk Factor Approach: a rational basis for promoting oral health. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2000;28(6):399–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Ishii M, Yamaguchi Y, Hamaya H, Iwata Y, Takada K, Ogawa S, Imura M, Akishita M. Influence of oral health on frailty in patients with type 2 diabetes aged 75 years or older. BMC Geriatr. 2022;22(1):145.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. King S, Chow CK, Eberhard J. Oral health and cardiometabolic disease: understanding the relationship. Intern Med J. 2022;52(2):198–205.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Watt R. Social determinants of oral health inequalities: implications for action. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2012;40(s2):44–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Stennett M, Tsakos G. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oral health inequalities and access to oral healthcare in England. Br Dent J. 2022;232(2):109–14.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic [https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019]

  16. Coronavirus Population Numbers [https://covid19.who.int/]

  17. Güner HR, Hasanoğlu İ, Aktaş F. COVID-19: prevention and control measures in community. Turk J Med Sci. 2020;50(1):571–7.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Greenhalgh T, Schmid MB, Czypionka T, Bassler D, Gruer L. Face masks for the public during the covid-19 crisis. BMJ. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1435.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Atalan A. Is the lockdown important to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic? effects on psychology, environment and economy-perspective. Ann Med Surg. 2020;56:38–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Mathieu E, Ritchie H, Ortiz-Ospina E, Roser M, Hasell J, Appel C, Giattino C, Rodés-Guirao L. A global database of COVID-19 vaccinations. Nat Hum Behav. 2021;5:947–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Czeisler MÉ, Marynak K, Clarke KE, Salah Z, Shakya I, Thierry JM, Ali N, McMillan H, Wiley JF, Weaver MD. Delay or avoidance of medical care because of COVID-19–related concerns—United States, June 2020. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69(36):1250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Help us help you: NHS urges public to get care when they need it [https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/04/help-us-help-you-nhs-urges-public-to-get-care-when-they-need-it/]

  23. Maintaining essential health services during the COVID-19 outbreak [https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/related-health-issues]

  24. Martin K, Kurowski D, Given P, Kennedy K, Clayton E. The impact of COVID-19 on the use of preventive health care. Health Care Cost Institute Published 2020.

  25. Horenstein A, Heimberg RG. Anxiety disorders and healthcare utilization: a systematic review. Clin Psychol Rev. 2020;81:101894.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Horenstein A, Potter CM, Heimberg RG. How does anxiety sensitivity increase risk of chronic medical conditions? Clin Psychol Sci Pract. 2018;25(3): e12248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Mian M, Teoh L, Hopcraft M. Trends in dental medication prescribing in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. JDR Clin Transl Res. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1177/2380084420986766.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Shah S, Wordley V, Thompson W. How did COVID-19 impact on dental antibiotic prescribing across England? Br Dent J. 2020;229(9):601–4.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Chandrasekara B, Patel V, Nathwani S, Rahman N, Kandiah T. Prescribing antibiotics in an urgent dental care service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fac Dent J. 2021;12(3):131–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Nguyen TM, Tonmukayakul U, Calache H. Dental restrictions to clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: An Australian perspective. JDR Clin. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1177/23800844211000341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Hopcraft M, Farmer G. Impact of COVID-19 on the provision of paediatric dental care: Analysis of the Australian Child Dental Benefits Schedule. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2020;49(4):369–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Fallahi HR, Keyhan SO, Zandian D, Kim S-G, Cheshmi B. Being a front-line dentist during the Covid-19 pandemic: a literature review. Maxillofac Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020;42(1):1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Richards W. Being a dentist in the pandemic. Evid Based Dent. 2020;21(2):58–9.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Bizzoca ME, Campisi G, Lo Muzio L. Covid-19 pandemic: What changes for dentists and oral medicine experts? a narrative review and novel approaches to infection containment. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(11):3793.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Bawankar PV, Kolte AP, Kolte RA. Combating COVID-19: a dentist perspective. Acta Sci Dent Sci. 2020;4:59–62.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Bhumireddy J, Mallineni SK, Nuvvula S. Challenges and possible solutions in dental practice during and post COVID-19. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2021;28(2):1275–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Chapter 11: Scoping reviews. JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis [https://jbi-global-wiki.refined.site/space/MANUAL]

  38. Arksey H, O’Malley L. Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. Int J Soc Res Methodol. 2005;8(1):19–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. McGowan J, Sampson M, Salzwedel DM, Cogo E, Foerster V, Lefebvre C. PRESS peer review of electronic search strategies: 2015 guideline statement. J Clin Epidemiol. 2016;75:40–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, O’Brien KK, Colquhoun H, Levac D, Moher D, Peters MDJ, Horsley T, Weeks L, et al. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169(7):467–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Covidence: Covidence systematic review software. In.: Veritas-Health-Innovation 2020.

  42. Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, O’Brien K, Colquhoun H, Kastner M, Levac D, Ng C, Sharpe JP, Wilson K, et al. A scoping review on the conduct and reporting of scoping reviews. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2016;16(1):15.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Geoscheme classifications [https://unstats.un.org/home/]

  44. Wu K, Li C, Yang Z, Yang S, Yang W, Hua C. Changes in the characteristics of dental emergencies under the influence of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a retrospective study. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21(1):1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Sycinska-Dziarnowska M, Maglitto M, Wozniak K, Spagnuolo G. Oral Health and Teledentistry Interest during the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Clin Med. 2021;10(16):11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Ostrc T, Pavlovic K, Fidler A. Urgent dental care on a national level during the COVID-19 epidemic. Clin Exp Dent Res. 2021;7(3):271–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Olszewska A, Paszynska E, Roszak M, Czajka-Jakubowska A. Management of the oral health of children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. Front Public Health. 2021;9: 635081.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Madi M, Kumar M, Varchas P, Vineetha R, Pentapati KC. Changing trends in the outpatient dental visits during the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care hospital. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2021;28(8):4437–41.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Long L, Corsar K. The COVID-19 effect: number of patients presenting to The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals OMFS team with dental infections before and during The COVID-19 outbreak. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2020;58(6):713–4.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Kamalova MK, Fomenko IV, Dmitrienko DS, Matvienko NV, Arjenovskaya EN, Gevorkyan AG, Nikitina KV, Maslak EE. Reasons for 1–17-year-old children to visit A dentist during the covid-19 pandemic. Eur J Mol Clin Med. 2020;7(7):546–58.

    Google Scholar 

  51. Dixit PB, Dixit S, Dahal S, Poudel P, Roy D, Manandhar N. Pattern of dental problems among patients visiting a dental hospital during COVID-19 pandemic. Kathmandu Univ Med J (KUMJ). 2021;18(70 2020 COVID-19 SPECIAL ISSUE):58–61.

    Google Scholar 

  52. Coulthard P, Thomson P, Dave M, Coulthard FP, Seoudi N, Hill M. The COVID-19 pandemic and dentistry: the clinical, legal and economic consequences—part 2: consequences of withholding dental care. Br Dent J. 2020;229(12):801–5.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Cotrin P, Peloso RM, Pini NIP, Oliveira RC, de Oliveira RCG, Valarelli FP, Freitas KMS. Urgencies and emergencies in orthodontics during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: Brazilian orthodontists’ experience. Am J Orthod Dentofac Orthop. 2020;158(5):661–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Campagnaro R, Collet GO, Andrade MP, Salles J, Calvo Fracasso ML, Scheffel DLS, Freitas KMS, Santin GC. COVID-19 pandemic and pediatric dentistry: fear, eating habits and parent’s oral health perceptions. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2020;118: 105469.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Blackhall KK, Singh RP. Dental emergencies presenting to maxillofacial units during the COVID-19 pandemic: a five-centre UK hospital study. Br Dent J. 2021;07:07.

    Google Scholar 

  56. Bhadauria US, Purohit B, Priya H, Duggal R. Awareness, perceptions and dental services utilization by patients a tertiary care centre during COVID-19 pandemic. Przegl Epidemiol. 2020;74(4):634–43.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. Ball M, Akintola D, Harrington Z, Djemal S. Emergency dental care triage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Br Dent J. 2021;06:06.

    Google Scholar 

  58. Arqub SA, Voldman R, Ahmida A, Kuo CL, Godoy LDC, Nasrawi Y, Al-Khateeb SN, Uribe F. Patients’ perceptions of orthodontic treatment experiences during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study. Prog Orthod. 2021;22(1):17.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Al Masri A, Abudrya MEH, Splieth CH, Schmoeckel J, Mourad MS, Santamaria RM. How did the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown affect dental emergency care in children? retrospective study in a specialized pedodontic center. Quintessence Int. 2021;52(9):788–96.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. AktaŞ A, Karaca Ç, Köseoğlu OT, Er N, Tüz HH, Saysel MY. Effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on emergent and urgent dental applications. COVID-19 salgınının Acil ve Kaçınılmaz Dental Başvurular Üzerindeki Etkileri. 2021;27(4):539–44.

    Google Scholar 

  61. Ostrc T, Pavlović K, Fidler A. Urgent dental care on a national level during the COVID-19 epidemic. Clin. 2021;7(3):271–8.

    Google Scholar 

  62. Meisha DE, Alsolami AM, Alharbi GM. Social determinants of seeking emergency and routine dental care in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21(1):212.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. Woolley J, Djemal S. Traumatic dental injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prim Dent J. 2021;10(1):28–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Ustun N, Akgol BB, Bayram M. Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric dental attendance. Clin Oral Invest. 2021;30:30.

    Google Scholar 

  65. Sekundo C, Langowski E, Frese C. Influence of COVID-19 restrictions on patients’ self-reported oral health care needs. Oral Health Prev. 2021;19(1):339–43.

    Google Scholar 

  66. Johnson RE 3rd, Foy TE, Ellingsen TA, Nelson JL, Dillon JK. Odontogenic infections: disease burden during COVID-19 at a single institution. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021;79(4):830–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  67. Guo H, Zhou Y, Liu X, Tan J. The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the utilization of emergency dental services. J Dent Sci. 2020;15(4):564–7.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  68. Eggmann F, Haschemi AA, Doukoudis D, Filippi A, Verna C, Walter C, Weiger R, Zitzmann NU, Bornstein MM. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urgent dental care delivery in a Swiss university center for dental medicine. Clin Oral Invest. 2021;25(10):5711–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  69. Cunha ARD, Velasco SRM, Hugo FN, Antunes JLF. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of dental procedures performed by the Brazilian Unified Health System: a syndemic perspective. Rev. 2021;24: e210028.

    Google Scholar 

  70. Cagetti MG, Balian A, Camoni N, Campus G. Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental emergency admissions in an urgent dental care service in North Italy. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(4):12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  71. Vanka S, Jan AS, Alhazmi STF, Alsubhi BM, Allehyani RS, Wali O, Vanka A, Gajdhar SK. Barriers of dental services utilization during COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Med Dent. 2020;24(4):523–30.

    Google Scholar 

  72. Sandhu P, Grossman S, Beneng K. The impact of the cessation of primary dental care services on oral cancer diagnosis at a single institution in the UK’s epicentre during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oral Surg (1752–2471). 2021;14(4):328–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  73. Lundberg A, Hillebrecht AL, McKenna G, Srinivasan M. COVID-19: Impacts on oral healthcare delivery in dependent older adults. Gerodontology. 2021;38(2):174–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  74. Lee YL, Hu HY, Yen YF, Chu D, Yang NP, Chou SY, Lin SY, Chu CM, Huang SJ. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the utilization of medical and dental services in Taiwan: a cohort study. J Dent Sci. 2021;16(4):1233–40.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  75. Kumar U, Gupta A, Goyal A, Gauba K. Impact of covid-19 pandemic on characteristics of dental emergencies and treatment services at tertiary care centre. Saudi Dent. 2021;06:06.

    Google Scholar 

  76. Kranz AM, Gahlon G, Dick AW, Stein BD. Characteristics of US adults delaying dental care due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jdr Clin Transl Res. 2021;6(1):8–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  77. Keles ZH, Sancakli HS. Evaluation of knowledge, attitude and behaviour on oral health through COVID-19 pandemic. Meandros Med Dent J. 2020;21(3):222–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  78. Iwasaki M, Usui M, Ariyoshi W, Nakashima K, Nagai-Yoshioka Y, Inoue M, Kobayashi K, Nishihara T. Interruption of regular dental visits during the COVID-19 pandemic due to concerns regarding dental visits was associated with periodontitis in Japanese office workers. J Periodontal Res. 2021;25:25.

    Google Scholar 

  79. Hajek A, De Bock F, Huebl L, Kretzler B, Konig HH. Postponed dental visits during the COVID-19 pandemic and their correlates. Evidence from the Nationally Representative COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring in Germany (COSMO). Healthcare. 2021;9(1):05.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  80. Fux-Noy A, Mattar L, Shmueli A, Halperson E, Ram D, Moskovitz M. Oral health care delivery for children during COVID-19 pandemic-a retrospective study. Front. 2021;9: 637351.

    Google Scholar 

  81. Elsherif N, Lewney J, John JH. Impact of cancelled General Anaesthetic dental extraction appointments on children due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Commun Dent Health. 2021;38(3):209–14.

    Google Scholar 

  82. Dos Santos MBF, Pires ALC, Saporiti JM, Kinalski MA, Marchini L. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on oral health procedures provided by the Brazilian public health system: COVID-19 and oral health in Brazil. Health Policy Technol. 2021;10(1):135–42.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  83. Degirmenci K, Kalaycioglu O. Evaluation of quality of life and oral hygiene attitudes of individuals using dental prostheses during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Prosthet Dent. 2021;126(1):51.e51-51.e57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  84. de Lucena EHG, Freire AR, Freire DEWG, de Araujo ECF, Lira GNW, Brito ACM, Padilha WWN, Cavalcanti YW. Offer and use of oral health in primary care before and after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Pesquisa Bras Odontopediatria Clin Integrada. 2020;20(Supplement 1):1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  85. Davies A, Howells R, Lee SMG, Sweet CJ, Dominguez-Gonzalez S. Implementation of photographic triage in a paediatric dental, orthodontic, and maxillofacial department during COVID-19. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2021;31(4):547–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  86. Chisini LA, Costa FDS, Sartori LRM, Correa MB, D’Avila OP, Demarco FF. COVID-19 Pandemic impact on Brazil’s Public Dental System. Pesqui Odontol Bras. 2021;35: e082.

    Google Scholar 

  87. Chisini LA, Costa FDS, Salvi LC, Demarco FF. Endodontic treatments in the Brazilian Public Health System: influence of COVID-19 pandemic. Health Policy Technol. 2021, 10(2) (no pagination).

  88. Chisini LA, Costa FDS, Demarco GT, da Silveira ER, Demarco FF. COVID-19 pandemic impact on paediatric dentistry treatments in the Brazilian Public Health System. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2021;31(1):31–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  89. Burgette JM, Weyant RJ, Ettinger AK, Miller E, Ray KN. What is the association between income loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and children’s dental care? J Am Dent Assoc. 2021;152(5):369–76.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  90. Brondani B, Knorst JK, Tomazoni F, Costa MD, Vargas AW, Noronha TG, Mendes FM, Ardenghi TM. Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on behavioural and psychosocial factors related to oral health in adolescents: a cohort study. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2021;31(4):539–46.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  91. Aquilanti L, Gallegati S, Temperini V, Ferrante L, Skrami E, Procaccini M, Rappelli G. Italian response to coronavirus pandemic in dental care access: the DeCADE study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(19):24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  92. Kardes E, Kardes S. Google searches for bruxism, teeth grinding, and teeth clenching during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Orofac Orthop. 2021;29.

  93. Sen Tunc E, Aksoy E, Arslan HN, Kaya Z. Evaluation of parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding self-medication for their children’s dental problems during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21(1):98.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  94. Pervez H, Siddiqui MK, Sattar A, Sultan H, Khan T, Haqqui R. At-home management strategies adopted by orthodontic patients during COVID-19 related closure of orthodontic clinics. J Pak Dent Assoc. 2021;30(2):99–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  95. Moghadam MG, Omidkhoda M, Kazemi H. Oral health literacy and COVID-19 pandemic anxiety and concerns among Iranian orthodontic patients. Turk J Orthod. 2021;34(2):93–101.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  96. Docimo R, Costacurta M, Gualtieri P, Pujia A, Leggeri C, Attina A, Cinelli G, Giannattasio S, Rampello T, Di Renzo L. Cariogenic risk and COVID-19 lockdown in a paediatric population. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14):15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  97. Aksit-Bicak D. Cariogenic dietary and toothbrushing practices of children during the COVID-19 outbreak. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2021:23(3).

  98. Liu C, Zhang S, Zhang C, Tai B, Jiang H, Du M. The impact of coronavirus lockdown on oral healthcare and its associated issues of pre-schoolers in China: an online cross-sectional survey. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21(1):54.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  99. Goswami M, Grewal M, Garg A. Attitude and practices of parents toward their children’s oral health care during COVID-19 pandemic. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2021;39(1):22–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  100. Zhang S, Liu C, Zhang C, Jiang H, Tai B, Du M. Impact of COVID-19 on the oral health of adults in Wuhan and China: results of a nationwide online cross-sectional questionnaire survey. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21(1):162.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  101. Sari A, Bilmez ZY. Effects of coronavirus (COVID-19) fear on oral health status. Oral Health Prev. 2021;19(1):411–23.

    Google Scholar 

  102. Patel N, Viswanathan A, Lee J, Barrow S, Cant A, Sanghvi R, Deseta M, Layton J, Bhujel N, Sheehy EC. Paediatric dental A&E service during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Greater London area. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2021;22(3):507–13.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  103. Menhadji P, Patel R, Asimakopoulou K, Quinn B, Khoshkhounejad G, Pasha P, Garcia Sanchez R, Ide M, Kalsi P, Nibali L. Patients’ and dentists’ perceptions of tele-dentistry at the time of COVID-19 A questionnaire-based study. J Dent. 2021;113: 103782.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  104. da Silva HEC, Santos GNM, Leite AF, Mesquita CRM, de Souza Figueiredo PT, Dos Reis PED, Stefani CM, de Melo NS. The role of teledentistry in oral cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: an integrative literature review. Support Care Cancer. 2021;05:05.

    Google Scholar 

  105. Sycinska-Dziarnowska M, Paradowska-Stankiewicz I. Dental challenges and the needs of the population during the Covid-19 pandemic period. Real-time surveillance using google trends. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(23):03.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  106. Rzewuska M, Lamont T, Banister K, Gillies K, Goulao B, Locock L, Nevin G, Clarkson JE, Ramsay CR. Twitter communication of the UK public on dental health and care during a COVID lockdown: “My kingdom for a dentist.” Commun Dent Health. 2021;15:15.

    Google Scholar 

  107. Oliveira LM, Zanatta FB. Self-reported dental treatment needs during the COVID-19 outbreak in Brazil: an infodemiological study. Pesqui Odontol Bras. 2020;34: e114.

    Google Scholar 

  108. Li C, Liu X, Li N, Yang F, Zheng M, Li Y, Zhang J. Impact of Coronavirus disease 2019 on patients with toothache: analysis of tweets on Weibo. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021;100(32): e26713.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  109. Altan H, Coşgun A. Analysis of tweets on toothache during the COVID-19 pandemic using the CrystalFeel algorithm: a cross-sectional study. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21(1):1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  110. Sandhu P, Grossman S, Beneng K. The impact of the cessation of primary dental care services on oral cancer diagnosis at a single institution in the UK’s epicentre during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oral Surg. 2021;06:06.

    Google Scholar 

  111. Valekar S, Manikandan J, Phaphe S. COVID-19 lockdown and its impact on orthodontic patients. Int Dent J Stud Res. 2020;8(4):152–7.

    Google Scholar 

  112. Smail FS, Ates MM. Knowledge and awareness of Turkish population about dental treatment during COVID-19-A questionnaire based survey. J Clin Diagn Res. 2020;14(8):ZC20–4.

    Google Scholar 

  113. Martina S, Amato A, Faccioni P, Iandolo A, Amato M, Rongo R. The perception of COVID-19 among Italian dental patients: an orthodontic point of view. Prog Orthod. 2021;22(1):11.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  114. Knorst JK, Brondani B, Tomazoni F, Vargas AW, Costa MD, da Silva GL, Mendes FM, Ardenghi DM, Ardenghi TM. COVID-19 pandemic reduces the negative perception of oral health-related quality of life in adolescents. Qual Life Res. 2021;30(6):1685–91.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  115. Jiang Y, Tang T, Mei L, Li H. COVID-19 affected patients’ utilization of dental care service. Oral Dis. 2020;22:22.

    Google Scholar 

  116. Guo F, Tang B, Qin D, Zhao T, Su YX, McGrath C, Hua F, He H. The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on orthodontic patients in China: an analysis of posts on Weibo. Front Med (Lausanne). 2020;7: 577468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  117. Alflayyeh S. Level of patient satisfaction about dental service at Majmaah Post Corona Lockdown period: a cross sectional study. Pak J Med Health Sci. 2020;14(4):1502–6.

    Google Scholar 

  118. Abdulkareem AA, Abdulbaqi HR, Alshami ML, Al-Rawi NH. Oral health awareness, attitude towards dental treatment, fear of infection and economic impact during COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East. Int J Dent Hyg. 2021;19(3):295–304.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  119. Dave M, Seoudi N, Coulthard P. Urgent dental care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet. 2020;395(10232):1257–1257.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  120. Watt R. The impact of COVID-19 on oral health and use of dental services. University College London: Dental Public Health Research Group; 2020.

    Google Scholar 

  121. Toothbrushing [https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/oral-health-topics/toothbrushes#:~:text=The%20consensus%20recommendation%20is%20for,toothbrushes%20can%20be%20used%20effectively.]

  122. Brushing and Flossing [https://www.ada.org.au/Dental-Health-Week/Oral-Health-for-Busy-Lives/Brushing-and-flossing]

  123. Moynihan PJ, Kelly SAM. Effect on caries of restricting sugars intake: systematic review to inform WHO guidelines. J Dent Res. 2013;93(1):8–18.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  124. Maharani DA, El Tantawi M, Yoseph MG, Rahardjo A. The use of internet platforms for oral health information and associated factors among adolescents from Jakarta: a cross sectional study. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21(1):22.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  125. Ghareghol H, Pakkhesal M, Naghavialhosseini A, Ahmadinia A, Behnampour N. Association of problematic Internet use and oral health-related quality of life among medical and dental students. BMC Med Educ. 2022;22(1):11.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  126. Yeap CK, Slack-Smith LM. Internet information on child oral health and the first dental visit. Aust Dent J. 2013;58(3):278–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  127. Watt R. COVID-19 is an opportunity for reform in dentistry. The Lancet. 2020;396(10249):462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  128. Arora A, Lucas D, To M, Chimoriya R, Bhole S, Tadakamadla SK, Crall JJ. How do mothers living in socially deprived communities perceive oral health of young children? a qualitative study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(7):3521.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  129. Kong A, Dickson M, Ramjan L, Sousa MS, Goulding J, Chao J, George A. A qualitative study exploring the experiences and perspectives of australian aboriginal women on oral health during pregnancy. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(15):8061.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Ange Johns-Hayden (specialist health librarian) who assisted with the development and refining of the search terms for the protocol.

Funding

Funding support was provided by the La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University, Bendigo.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research, Oral Public Health Research Group, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University, P.O. Box 199, Bendigo, VIC, 3552, Australia

    Virginia Dickson-Swift, Tejashree Kangutkar, Ron Knevel & Sarah Down

Authors
  1. Virginia Dickson-Swift
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tejashree Kangutkar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ron Knevel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sarah Down
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

VDS conceived and designed the scoping review. VDS & TK developed the search strategy, and all authors (VDS, TK, RK & SD) contributed to article screening. TK completed the data extraction and undertook the preliminary analysis of the findings. VDS & TK made final decisions about article verification with consensus from all authors. All authors reviewed the analysis and synthesis of the key findings. RK & SD provided guidance and editorial support and all authors read and approved the final manuscript prior to submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Virginia Dickson-Swift.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Additional file 1

. PRISMA-ScR checklist

Additional file 2

. Extracted data

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dickson-Swift, V., Kangutkar, T., Knevel, R. et al. The impact of COVID-19 on individual oral health: a scoping review. BMC Oral Health 22, 422 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-022-02463-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-022-02463-0

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Oral health
  • Dental health
  • Oral health care
  • Dental services

BMC Oral Health

ISSN: 1472-6831

Contact us