Abstract
Background: In 2020, the entire world was forced to “live a life of self-restraint” to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), resulting in a dramatic change in lifestyle. On the other hand, reports of fears of COVID-19 transmission through dental care have raised concerns about the reluctance of patients to seek dental care. We conducted a questionnaire survey to clarify the influence of lifestyle changes and COVID-19 anxiety on dental visits.
Methods: Between October 2020 and December 2020, we conducted a questionnaire survey of SPT patients at a general dental clinic in a local city. Questions were asked about GOHAI, K6, lifestyle, health status, subjective oral symptoms, and anxiety about dental visits.
Results: 372 patients (mean age 55.38 years, 257 females and 115 males) responded to the questionnaire. 20.2% of the respondents were worried about infection in dental clinics, and 13.4% of the respondents felt uneasy about dental care due to media reports.
Those who were anxious about infections in dental clinics had significantly lower oral-related quality of life and were more depressed than those who were not anxious.
Discussion and summary: Those who were anxious about dental care tended to have a low oral-related QOL and may need to see a dentist.
