Impact of COVID-19 on the provision of paediatric dental care: Analysis of the Australian Child Dental Benefits Schedule.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Oral health is essential to maintaining good overall health, and access to dental care is necessary for the early detection, prevention and control of oral diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a significant disruption in the provision of dental services globally. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on dental services provided in Australia through the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. METHODS: This study was a retrospective analysis of Medicare data on utilization of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule obtained from the Australian Government. Data were analysed for the period February to September 2020, with the number of services provided per month across five categories (diagnostic, preventive, restorative, endodontic and oral surgery) compared with the monthly average for 2019 (95% CI) and the same month for 2019. Total services by month were reported for 2017, 2018 and 2019 to compare the yearly trend with 2020. Differences in services provision by State/Territory were also described. RESULTS: Over the period of March to September, there were 881 454 fewer dental services provided in 2020 than 2019, with the largest decline seen in April. There was a greater decline in preventive and diagnostic services, and a smaller decline in endodontic and oral surgery services. A second wave of COVID-19 in Victoria saw 198 609 fewer dental services provided in that state from July to September 2020 than 2019. Dental service provision had still not returned to normal levels across Australia by September 2020. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the provision of dental services to children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who already experience higher levels of dental disease and disadvantage in accessing dental care. Although the restriction of dental services was deemed necessary in order to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the dental setting, the impact of these restrictions on oral health will be long lasting. Given the chronic and progressive nature of dental disease, the deferral of necessary dental care is likely to contribute to poorer oral health and long-term problems for many Australians.