Dental Visits and Dental Treatment Patterns among Preschool Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Study

Objectives: To investigate the patterns of dental visits and treatment patterns among preschool children during the COVID-19 pandemic at a dental centre in Kuwait. Method: This study was designed as a retrospective observational study involving children aged 3 to 6 years, who visited a dental centre serving 17 cities in Zahra, Kuwait, from 2020 to 2022. Patients’ demographic data, reasons for dental visits, medical history, dental caries experiences, frequency of dental visits, and treatment items were extracted from patient file records using a pre-determined data extraction sheet by two calibrated investigators. Result: A total of 369 dental visits were reviewed among 296 Kuwaiti preschool children. The average age of those children was 4.32 (±1.05), with 53.0% (n=157) below age five. The primary reasons for dental visits were pain relief and dental check-ups. The most frequently employed preventive measures were topical fluoride application and oral hygiene instruction. In 2020 and 2021, the most prevalent active treatment was tooth extraction. The proportion of children who underwent tooth extraction was higher in children with toothache than those without toothache (58.2% vs 25.3%, p<0.001). Medication tended to be prescribed for children aged 3 to 4 years, when compared to those over 4 years old (9.6% vs 2.9%, p=0.019). Conversely, children over the age of four were more likely to have multiple dental visits compared to their younger counterparts (28.1% vs 15.9%, p=0.016). Conclusion: Dental treatment patterns were associated with children’s age, caries experience and history of toothache. Children suffering from toothache were more inclined to undergo tooth extraction during COVID-19 pandemic.