Pandemic contributes to poor mental, oral health

Oral health has been mildly compromised during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, particularly among people who have been infected and those suffering from depression, anxiety, and psychological stress, a recent study reported.

The study included 1,178 participants (age ≥18 years, 64 percent women) who completed the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) questionnaire for the assessment of their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) was used to evaluate psychological parameters.

The overall average OHIP score was 4.8, suggesting good OHRQoL in general. Nevertheless, 21 percent of participants reported toothache, while 23 percent had mucosal problems, 31 percent with teeth hypersensitivity, and 27 percent with myofacial pain.

In terms of the pandemic’s psychosocial impacts, participants had a total PHQ average score of 4.5, suggesting mild stress severity. The depression and anxiety score was 2.4. Subjectively, 38 percent said that they felt much greater emotional burden during the pandemic, while only 12 percent said that they were under less or much less burden than before.

Linear regression analysis showed that previously being infected with COVID-19 was a strong risk factor for poor OHRQoL (estimate, 12.05, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 9.078–15.022; p<0.001). Other notable correlates included PHQ sum score (estimate, 0.973, 95 percent CI, 0.778–1.169; p<0.001) and age ≥60 years (estimate, 1.706, 95 percent CI, 0.707–2.704; p<0.001).

“The depicted oral afflictions underline the continuous need for dental treatment in pandemic times. As the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications progress and in context of future pandemics, psychosocial consequences and their association to oral health should be considered and further investigated,” the researchers said.