Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on First-visit Patient Trends during a Three-year Period at the Oral Diagnosis Department of Meikai University Hospital

Abstract

We investigated trends in the number of first-visit patients presenting at the Oral Diagnosis Department of Meikai University Hospital during a three-year period from January 2018 to December 2020 with respect to gender and age group, chief complaints, and systemic medical history, and examined the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID-19） pandemic. The total number of new patients decreased in comparison with previous surveys. In April 2020, when the state of emergency was first declared, the number of patients decreased significantly, but thereafter recovered quickly. Toothache was the most common complaint, but before and after the pandemic, the number of patients who visited the hospital complaining of dissatisfaction with treated teeth or an abnormal taste sensation increased. There was no change in the general medical history of patients. The results of this survey suggest that new dental patients continued to visit the hospital for alleviation of oral complaints, despite the pandemic.