Top

European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry

Published in:

24-11-2022 | COVID-19 | Original Scientific Article

Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on children with special needs requiring general anaesthesia for the treatment of dental disease: the experience of the Brescia Children’s Hospital, Lombardy, Italy

Authors: K. Tewfik, C. Peta, M. C. De Giuli, M. Rossini, G. Giampaoli, C. Covelli, D. Burlini

Published in: European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry | Issue 1/2023

Abstract

Purpose

Special needs children presenting with dental problems were penalised during the Covid-19 pandemic due to the reduction of clinical activity and the risks of nosocomial infection. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on oral healthcare in paediatric special needs patients.

Methods

We retrospectively assessed and compared the outpatient clinic activity and dental procedures performed under general anaesthesia in children with special needs at Brescia Children’s Hospital (Italy) in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Any delay between expected waiting time based on assigned priority and surgery was recorded. The efficacy of the protocol adopted to reduce the spread of Covid-19 was evaluated by reporting any infections in patients, parents, and health care providers.

Results

In 2020, 270 outpatient visits were performed, and 40 patients were treated under general anaesthesia, with a 26% and 65% reduction, respectively, compared to 2019. In 2021, 362 visits were performed (similar to 2019) and 48 patients were treated under general anaesthesia (58% compared to 2019). The mean delay in the planned treatment was 1.0 month in 2019 (pre-pandemic period), 2.1 months in 2020, and 1.1 month in 2021. No cases of Covid-19 infection were reported in the cohort of patients and parents or among the operators related to nosocomial infection.

Conclusions

The Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly reduced the activity of general anaesthesia in paediatric special need patients during 2020, with a gradual return to normal pre-pandemic activity in 2021. The adopted protocol prevented the spread of COVID-19 during hospitalisation.

Acharya S, Singh B, Godhi B, Godhi B, Pandey S. How to deal and learn from the threat of COVID-19 in paediatric dentistry. Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2020;21(3):173–5. https://doi.org/10.23804/ejpd.2020.21.03.02.CrossRefPubMed

Achiron A, Mandel M, Sheonefeld Y. Coronavirus 2019 outbreak pathogenesis: why China and Italy? Eur J Rheumatol. 2020;7(Suppl 2):S99–101. https://doi.org/10.5152/eurjrheum.2020.2068.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Al-Halabi M, Salami A, Alnuaimi E, Kowash M, Hussein I. Assessment of paediatric dental guidelines and caries management alternatives in the post COVID-19 period. A critical review and clinical recommendations. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2020;21(5):543–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-020-00547-5.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Allevi F, Dionisio A, Baciliero U, Balercia P, Beltramini GA, Bertossi D, Bozzetti A, Califa L, Cascone P, Colombo L, Copelli C, De Ponte FS, De Riu G, Della Monaca M, Fusetti S, Galié M, Giannì AB, Longo F, Mannucci N, Nocini PF, Pelo S, Ramieri G, Sesenna E, Solazzo L, Spinelli G, Tarsitano A, Tartaro G, Valentini V, Verrina G, Biglioli F. Impact of COVID-19 epidemic on maxillofacial surgery in Italy. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2020;58(6):692–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjoms.2020.04.035.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Alzahrani SB, Alrusayes AA, Alfraih YK, Aldossary MS. Characteristics of paediatric dental emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2021;22(2):95–7. https://doi.org/10.23804/ejpd.2021.22.02.2.CrossRefPubMed

Bardellini E, Amadori F, Veneri F, Conti G, Majorana A. Coronavirus Disease-2019 and dental practice: A project on the use of ozonized water in the water circuit of the dental armchair. Stomatologija. 2020;22(2):35–8.PubMed

Boffetta P, Violante F, Durando P, De Palma G, Pira E, Vimercati L, Cristaudo A, Icardi G, Sala E, Coggiola M, Tafuri S, Gattini V, Apostoli P, Spatari G. Determinants of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Italian healthcare workers: a multicenter study. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):5788. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85215-4.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Dong Y, Mo X, Hu Y, Qi X, Jiang F, Jiang Z, Tong S. Epidemiology of COVID-19 Among Children in China. Pediatrics. 2020;145(6):e20200702. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-0702.CrossRefPubMed

Faccioli S, Lombardi F, Bellini P, Costi S, Sassi S, Pesci MC. How did Italian adolescents with disability and parents deal with the COVID-19 emergency? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(4):1687. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041687.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Ferrazzano GF, Quaraniello M, Sangianantoni G, Ingenito A, Cantile T. Clinical effectiveness of inhalation conscious sedation with nitrous oxide and oxygen for dental treatment in uncooperative paediatric patients during COVID-19 outbreak. Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2020;21(4):277–82. https://doi.org/10.23804/ejpd.2020.21.04.4.CrossRefPubMed

Fung A, Ricci MF. Rethinking “essential” and “nonessential”: the developmental paediatrician’s COVID-19 response. Paediatr Child Health. 2020;25(5):265–7. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxaa077.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Houtrow A, Harris D, Molinero A, Levin-Decanini T, Robichaud C. Children with disabilities in the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic. J Pediatr Rehabil Med. 2020;13(3):415–24. https://doi.org/10.3233/PRM-200769.CrossRefPubMed

Ilyas N, Sood S, Radia R, Suffern R, Fan K. Paediatric dental pain and infection during the COVID period. Surgeon. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surge.2020.12.011.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Kumar Mallineni S, Chandra Bhumireddy J, Nuvvula S. Dentistry for children during and post COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2021;120: 105734. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105734.CrossRefPubMed

Lazzerini M, Barbi E, Apicella A, Marchetti F, Cardinale F, Trobia G. Delayed access or provision of care in Italy resulting from fear of COVID-19. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2020;4(5):e10–1. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30108-5.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Lee PI, Hu YL, Chen PY, Huang YC, Hsueh PR. Are children less susceptible to COVID-19? J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2020;53(3):371–2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmii.2020.02.011.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Longo F, Trecca EMC, D’Ecclesia A, Copelli C, Tewfik K, Manfuso A, Pederneschi N, Mastromatteo A, Russo MA, Pansini A, Lacerenza LM, Marano PG, Cassano L. Managing head and neck cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: the experience of a tertiary referral center in southern Italy. Infect Agent Cancer. 2021;16(1):9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13027-021-00352-9.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Luo W, Lee GHM, Nalabothu P, Kumar H. Paediatric dental care during and post-COVID-19 era: changes and challenges ahead. Pediatr Dent J. 2021;31(1):33–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdj.2021.01.003.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Luzzi V, Ierardo G, Bossù M, Polimeni A. Paediatric Oral Health during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2021;31(1):20–6. https://doi.org/10.1111/ipd.12737.CrossRefPubMed

Mascarenhas RE, Pralhad S, Manaktala N. Pan-dent-emic: safety considerations for dental surgery in the era of COVID-19. Patient Saf Surg. 2021;15(1):16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13037-021-00289-3.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Milani GP, Bottino I, Rocchi A, Marchisio P, Elli S, Agostoni C, Costantino G. Frequency of children vs adults carrying severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 asymptomatically. JAMA Pediatr. 2021;175(2):193–4. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.3595.CrossRefPubMed

Paglia L. Paediatric dentistry and Covid-19: What’s next? Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2020;21(4):257. https://doi.org/10.23804/ejpd.2020.21.04.1.CrossRefPubMed

Paglia L. COVID-19 and paediatric dentistry after the lockdown. Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2020;21(2):89. https://doi.org/10.23804/ejpd.2020.21.02.01.CrossRefPubMed

Pelizzo G, Costanzo S, Maestri L, Selvaggio GGO, Pansini A, Zuccotti GV, Zoia E, De Filippis G, Visconti A, Calcaterra V. The challenges of a Children’s Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: the pediatric surgeon’s point of view. Pediatr Rep. 2020;12(3):114–23. https://doi.org/10.3390/pediatric12030025.CrossRefPubMed

Saccomanno S, Quinzi V, Sarhan S, Laganà D, Marzo G. Perspectives of tele-orthodontics in the COVID-19 emergency and as a future tool in daily practice. Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2020;21(2):157–62. https://doi.org/10.23804/ejpd.2020.21.02.12.CrossRefPubMed

Sales SC, Meyfarth S, Scarparo A. The clinical practice of Pediatric Dentistry post-COVID-19: The current evidences. Pediatr Dent J. 2021;31(1):25–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdj.2021.01.002.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Üstün N, Akgöl BB, Bayram M. Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric dental attendance. Clin Oral Investig. 2021;30:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-021-03917-5.CrossRef

http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/p5_1_2.jsp?lingua=italiano&id=217.

WHO (2019) WHO director-general’s statement on IHR Emergency Committee on Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Available at: https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-sstatement-on-ihr-emergencycommittee-on-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov). http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/p5_1_2.jsp?lingua=italiano&id=217. Accessed 3 Mar 2020

Title: Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on children with special needs requiring general anaesthesia for the treatment of dental disease: the experience of the Brescia Children’s Hospital, Lombardy, Italy
Authors: K. Tewfik
C. Peta
M. C. De Giuli
M. Rossini
G. Giampaoli
C. Covelli
D. Burlini
Publication date: 24-11-2022
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keyword: COVID-19
Published in: European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry / Issue 1/2023
Print ISSN: 1818-6300
Electronic ISSN: 1996-9805
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-022-00770-2

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on children with special needs requiring general anaesthesia for the treatment of dental disease: the experience of the Brescia Children’s Hospital, Lombardy, Italy

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 1/2023

Effect of sleep on development of early childhood caries: a systematic review

Parental report of dental pain and discomfort in preschool children is associated with sleep disorders: a cross-sectional study in Brazilian families

Oral health knowledge of Spanish breastfeeding mothers

Does the scientific literature provide sufficient information on incisors affected by molar incisor hypomineralisation?

Molar-incisor hypomineralisation prevalence in a cohort of Australian children with type 1 diabetes

Assessment of mouthguards worn by Irish children playing contact sports: an observational cross-sectional cohort study