Pediatric Dental Emergency Visits and Treatment During Lockdown in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Analysis at the Pediatric Emergency Unit of the University Clinic of Dentistry, Vienna, Austria

Background: In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University Dental Clinic Vienna switched from routine medical care to emergency operation mode. The study aims to retrospectively compare the characteristics of pediatric patients' emergency visits before, during, and after lockdown. Methods: All pediatric emergencies that presented at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry in the period from the 7 January 2020 to the 31 July 2020 were recorded. Patients were subclassified into three groups with regard to their time of presentation (group 1: before lockdown, group 2: during lockdown, group 3: after lockdown). Then, pediatric patients' purposes for emergency visit, diagnoses, and the treatments practiced were compared. Results: The number of patients was significantly lower during lockdown but increased again afterward. During lockdown, significantly more patients presented with dental pain, the diagnosis "Extraction: tooth not restorable" increased, and extractions were significantly more often the treatment of choice (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The presented study is the first research on pediatric dental emergency visits during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria. The results highlight the negative impact of the pandemic on pediatric dental care as the number of treatments decreased, elective treatments were postponed, and the diagnosis and prognosis of teeth deteriorated.