Covid, Stress, and Their Impact on Oral Health

The COVID-19 Pandemic, which nearly shut down the world for several months, had a large impact on the lives of everyone around the world. The pandemic brought many changes to daily life including the loss of jobs, online schooling, weeks in quarantine, and for some, even the loss of a loved one. It was expected that the many abrupt changes increased levels of stress, in turn having a negative impact on oral health throughout society. Aside from this, changes in everyday habits and hygiene also likely had a negative effect on oral health. The overall effect that the pandemic had on oral health was investigated through a survey that was sent out to dental offices across the United States and Canada asking about the rates of clenching and grinding, the rates of cracked teeth, the number of crowns completed, the percentage of missed appointments, and the overall oral health of patients all throughout the pandemic and prior to the pandemic. Data was also collected at St. Vincent de Paul, a public health dental clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, which included the total number of crowns, the total number of appointments, and the total number of missed appointments all before and during the pandemic. It was predicted that all of the stress indicators asked about throughout the survey would have rates that increased throughout the pandemic, as well as that the number of crowns completed and missed appointments at St. Vincent de Paul both would have increased. The majority of the results matched the predictions, supporting the hypothesis that the COVID-19 Pandemic had a negative impact on overall oral health.