Impact of COVID-19 on patient follow-up during supportive periodontal therapy: a retrospective study based on phone call survey

Mengli Wang; Yuxin Xu; Wen Fang; Weiyi Pan; Qianting Wang

doi:10.1186/s12903-023-03539-1

Impact of COVID-19 on patient follow-up during supportive periodontal therapy: a retrospective study based on phone call survey

BMC Oral Health. 2023 Oct 28;23(1):811. doi: 10.1186/s12903-023-03539-1.

Authors

Mengli Wang¹, Yuxin Xu¹, Wen Fang¹, Weiyi Pan¹, Qianting Wang²

Affiliations

¹ Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, China.
² Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, China. qt.wang@zju.edu.cn.

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 and the subsequent intermittent lockdown measures from 2020 to 2022 in China critically disrupted regular medical activities, including dental care. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on long-term follow-up at the Stomatology Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine and to evaluate potential causes of loss to follow-up.

Methods: A total of 1062 patients with periodontitis who visited the hospital from January 2019 to June 2022 were included in this study, and patient information was collected retrospectively in the form of a telephone questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 19 questions in four areas: demographic characteristics, clinical periodontal parameters, oral hygiene habits, and follow-up-related open-ended questions (specific reasons for loss to follow-up, attitudes toward follow-up and suggestions for increasing participation in future follow-ups). Regression analysis of factors influencing the follow-up of patients with periodontitis were analyzed by regression analysis using R (v4.2.3) software.

Results: A total of 536 (50.47%) valid questionnaires were collected from 1062 patients. Personal factors (42.5%), instead of the COVID-19 epidemic (20.0%), were the main factors that impacted the loss to follow-up in long-term periodontal treatment, while work factors (19.8%), hospital factors (16.4%), and transportation or distance factors (14.7%) were all important factors. A family history of periodontitis [odds ratio (OR) = 0.567, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.393, 0.817, p = 0.002], as well as frequent use of dental devices (OR = 0.540, 95% CI: 0.375, 0.777, p = 0.001), were significantly associated with a "negative" attitude toward follow-up visits.

Conclusion: This survey suggests that the COVID-19 epidemic factor was an important cause contributed to the loss to follow-up during supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) among a variety of potential factors. Majority of patients had negative attitudes toward subsequent continued participation in supportive care.

Keywords: COVID-19; Loss to follow-up; Periodontitis; Phone-call survey; Retrospective study.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Communicable Disease Control
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Periodontitis* / therapy
Retrospective Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires