IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 ERA IN BRAZILIAN ORAL MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM: DATA UPDATE

OBJECTIVES: In our first study, the data collected from the public database showed the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Oral Medicine (OM) practice in Brazil, with a deficit of -65.59% appointments during the first pandemic period. In this way, this study aimed to compare the number of OM appointments from the first half of the pandemic with second half so as to update the data and verify if measures to return to clinical activities were effective in the subsequent months. STUDY DESIGN: A descriptive analysis of data extracted from the public database of the Brazilian Ministry of Health was performed. RESULTS: There was an increase in the number of OM appointments in the second half of the pandemic throughout Brazil (+64.2%), representing more 9,235 appointments during this period. After the second half of the pandemic, even with the increase in COVID-19 cases caused by the second wave, the number of OM appointments remained stable. CONCLUSION: These positive numbers can be explained by the several movements that began after lockdown in the 1st half of 2020 in order to return to in-person health care, following strict hygiene and safety protocols against the dissemination of COVID-19.