Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on psychosocial factors and oral health

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Created On: 07/05/2022

A cross-sectional study aimed to assess oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) during coronavirus outbreak and to investigate a possible link to psychosocial factors such as psychological stress and symptoms of anxiety disorders and depression.

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Key take away

People with COVID-19 history and raised levels of stress, depression, and anxiety exhibited a reduced oral health-related quality of life.

Background

Method

In this questionnaire-based study, the secondary research questions were if people altered oral hygiene regimens during SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and to what extent the dental symptoms existed and developed in comparison with pre-pandemic.

For determining OHRQoL, anxiety, stress, and depression and their specific confounders in the study cohort, a survey was conceptualized. Implementation of validated questionnaires like Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-4, the German version of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-G14), and PHQ-Stress was done. A total of 1178 participants finished the survey.

Result

An OHIP-G14 sum score of 4.8 ± 7.5 implied good oral health-associated quality of life. About 27% (n = 305) of volunteers experienced myofacial pain, 21% had (n = 248) toothache,, 31% (n = 356) had teeth hypersensitivity, and 23% had (n = 270) mucosal problems. The levels of anxiety and depression were noted to be mild to moderate in severity (PHQ-4 score: 2.4 ± 2.6). A mild severity of stress was revealed by PHQ-Stress score (4.5 ± 3.5).

Notably, 38% of volunteers reported a subjectively higher emotional burden in comparison with pre-pandemic. Substantial differences were witnessed for stress, OHRQoL, depression and anxiety levels between volunteers with higher, equal or less emotional burden in comparison with pre-pandemic. The coronavirus disease history and increased levels of stress, depression, and anxiety appear to link with decreased OHRQoL.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 lockdown exhibited immediate and long-term implications on the patient's OHRQoL that may be related to psychosocial factors. However, the psychosocial consequences during pandemic times and their relation to oral health need to be additionally explored.