Changes in dental visits and oral health for children by race and ethnicity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic created new barriers to oral health care, which may worsen oral health and exacerbate disparities. The authors quantified changes in children's dental care receipt and oral health outcomes during the pandemic and examined differences among racial and ethnic groups.

Methods

Using the National Survey of Children's Health (163,948 child observations from 2017-2021), the authors used weighted modified Poisson models to examine caregiver-reported receipt of a dental visit (for any reason and for preventive care) and adverse oral health outcomes (teeth in fair or poor condition; difficulty with toothaches, cavities, or bleeding gums) from 2017 through 2019 (prepandemic) compared with 2020 and 2021. The authors examined outcomes within and across ra

SUBMITTER: Kranz AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11476772 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature