The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiological characteristics of permanent dental injury in Xi’an of China: A retrospective study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major global concern, seriously affecting the lives and health of the population. This retrospective study aimed to investigate changes in permanent tooth injury in the Xi’an area of China influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The medical records of 466 dental emergency patients in 2019 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The number of injured teeth in a single patient, the number of injury types, the time from injury to hospital visit and follow-up visits within 1 year before and after the pandemic were analyzed using the chi-squared test and the paired t-test. There was significant difference in the number of emergency patients and trauma types before and during COVID-19 pandemic (P < .05). The time from injury to hospital visit and the interval between the trauma event and visit showed longer during the COVID-19 pandemic (P < .05). The rate of on-time follow-up in the following year was significantly decreased, and the rates of delayed visits and patients lost to follow-up were significantly increased (P < .05). The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic brought a certain change in the epidemiological characteristics of dental injury in the Xi’an area of China. Dental emergency departments should provide even more timely and effective treatments. It is also necessary to strengthen public education, with emphasis on the importance of timely medical treatment and regular follow-up for dental trauma.