What is the association between income loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and children's dental care?

Background. The degree to which children experience unmet need for dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with pandemic-related household job or income loss are unknown. Methods. The authors performed a cross-sectional household survey of 348 families in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from June 25 through July 2, 2020. Unmet need for child dental care and pandemic-related household job or income loss were assessed using caregiver self-report. Results. Caregivers reported that the greatest unmet child health care need during the COVID-19 pandemic was dental care (16%), followed by medical care for a well visit or vaccination (5%). Approximately 40% of caregivers reported job loss or a decrease in household income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors found a significant association between the probability of unmet child dental care and pandemic-related household job or income loss (P = .022). Losing a job or experiencing a decrease in income due to the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with unmet child dental care (relative risk, 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 2.88). Conclusions. In this sample, 3 times as many households reported unmet dental care for a child compared with unmet medical care. Unmet child dental care was more common in households where pandemic-related job or income loss occurred.