The incidence of dental fractures in the Italian population during the COVID-19 pandemic: An observational study

Abstract

The COVID-19 infection has become a pandemic after breaking out in China in the past months of 2019 and spreading rapidly worldwide. To counter this pandemic, several governments worldwide have taken several drastic measures to try to stop the spread of the virus, including a very strict lockdown that has caused a sudden and, in many cases, negative change in people’s daily lives. In the literature, several studies have shown how the pandemic has significantly impaired many people’s mental health, causing short- and long-term stress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. This study aims to analyze the correlation between the stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the parafunctions of the temporomandibular joint and masticatory muscles, which in turn, have led to an increase in the incidence of fractures and dental injuries. The ultimate goal is to understand the best choice the dentist must make in the preventive and therapeutic fields. A questionnaire called “Incidence of tooth fractures during the COVID-19 pandemic” was prepared using the Google® Forms platform. This questionnaire consists of 13 questions. This electronic questionnaire was addressed to all dentists in the Campania Region (ITA) and disseminated through social networks such as WhatsApp® or Facebook® or E-mail. A total of 730 dentists completed the survey. Of these, 450 (61.7%) stated that the number of patients reporting muscle and joint pain in the morning had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. 414 (56.7%) dentists noted an increase in parafunction and 392 (53.6%) an increase in dental fractures during the pandemic period. As can be seen from the study results, an important correlation was found between the stress resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and dental fractures. The dental elements treated endodontically, depending on the extent of the damage, require restoration, which is also the best preventive strategy in the case of dental fractures.