Orthodontic Emergencies and Perspectives During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Italian Experience

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the types of dental emergencies that occurred during the lockdown period in Italy (12th March-4th May) and to investigate future therapeutic preferences related to the use of different types of appliances. Material and Methods: A questionnaire dedicated to assessing dental emergencies during the lockdown period and surveying the resumption of orthodontic practice was submitted to clinicians in digital form. The first part of the questionnaire, focused on the orthodontic emergencies that were encountered in relation to the different types of orthodontic appliances and how these were resolved. The second part of the questionnaire was devoted to the resumption of clinical practice; in particular, it was designed to assess whether and what percentage of clinicians are willing to change the duration of appointments in relation to the different types of appliance used, asking them whether their approach to orthodontic treatment would change in the coming months as compared to the pre-COVID-19 era. Results: Results show that in most cases (82%), the percentage of patients who experienced a dental emergency was less than 5% and that far fewer emergencies were attributable to removable (5.7%) than to fixed appliances (94.3%). Looking ahead, clinicians expressed a greater preference for using removable (60.8%) rather than fixed appliances (39.2%). Conclusion: During the lockdown, there relatively few orthodontic emergencies, many of which were handled by telephone consultation. However, a far lower percentage of emergencies were generated by removable (e.g., clear aligners) as opposed to fixed appliances (e.g., multibracket equipment), likely influencing the decision of the majority of clinicians to opt for removable appliances in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Salud bucal pediátrica: sugerencias básicas durante y después de la emergencia sanitaria COVID-19 en el hogar y la clínica

“…Son todos aquellos que no se pueden solucionar en casa y que están afectando el estilo de vida del paciente. Durante el confinamiento, hubo relativamente pocas emergencias de ortodoncia, muchas de las cuales se manejaron mediante consulta telefónica; sin embargo, un porcentaje mucho menor de emergencias fueron generadas por aparatos removibles (por ejemplo, alineadores transparentes) en comparación con aparatos fijos (por ejemplo, equipos multibracket ), lo que probablemente influyó en la decisión de la mayoría de los profesionales de optar por aparatos extraíbles a raíz de la pandemia de COVID-19 22 .…”

Are We Hearing Right? The Negative Impact of New SARS-CoV-2 Preventive Measures and Prolonged Use of Treatment Modalities during Orthodontic Treatment

“…Male dentists report such problems more than female dentists [10]. A significant problem that has been seen during various stages of the pandemic-initiated lockdowns is the removal of brackets in patients undergoing fixed appliance therapy [11]. Studies conducted during this period have shown that removed brackets, tubes, bands, and archwires are the most reported emergencies over the pandemic period [12].…”

Development of a checklist to assess COVID-19 information on orthodontic webpages

“…With the long time period of suspended orthodontic treatment due to COVID-19, the importance of supporting, reassuring and managing orthodontic emergencies by providing treatment advice remotely was identified (Caprioglio et al, 2020; Suri et al, 2020). A cross-sectional study conducted in Italy during lockdown (12 March to 4 May 2020), found that 159 of the 194 orthodontic practitioners (82%) who completed the questionnaire stated less than 5% of their patients undergoing orthodontic treatment had reported an appliance breakage during that period (Colonna et al, 2021). Caprioglio et al (2020) have emphasised the merit of utilising virtual instant messaging applications to manage orthodontic emergencies; the authors have outlined virtual management approaches for both removable and fixed orthodontic appliances during periods of suspended clinical care.…”