Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Abstract
BACKGROUND: During the pandemic period of coronavirus disease, appropriate oral health
management and disease prevention of children are very important for children’s oral and general
health. The aim of this study was to survey to better understand in children’s dental health and dietary
habits and to learn about parents’ attitudes toward dental treatment and clinical factors associated
with their QoL using the Turkish version of KIDSCREEN‑10 during the initial stage of the COVID‑19
pandemic in the general public.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A two‑part questionnaire , namely Part 1 addressed topics
regarding changes in general and dental health, dietary habits of children under quarantine, and
sociodemographic characteristics of the family and Part 2 impact of QoL was assessed by the
KIDSCREEN‑10 scale with 10 questions. The questionnaire was sent online using WhatsApp to a
convenience sample of mothers with children between the age group of 8 and 18 years, who lived
in Istanbul. Variables were statistically analyzed using the Student’s t‑test for independent samples
and Univariate F‑test, ANOVA according to the characteristics of variables which were analyzed.
RESULTS: This study included 328 from 557 mothers with 58% respondent rate. The consumption
of fast food, packaged food, and carbonated beverages decreased during the COVID‑19 outbreak.
Half of the mothers of children reported that they were anxious or fearful about their children
visiting dentists during the pandemic and 64.2% of the children missed routine dental visits. The
KIDSCREEN‑10 scores for 13 years old or older children were influenced more by the COVID‑19
pandemic than those for the 8–12 years old, who had a better QoL (P = 0.008).
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study emphasize the importance of oral health and QoL of
children during the initial phase of the COVID‑19 outbreak. The general perception of QoL in this
group of Turkish children seemed to be substantially affected by COVID‑19 outbreak.
Keywords
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