Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on Oral Health and Behaviour Change among Children in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Introduction: The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been concomitant to a number of alterations in children’s dental health. The indoor activities and intermittent eating during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown had an impact on oral hygiene practices and behavioural change in children. Aim: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on oral health and behaviour change among children in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Dammam Specialised Dental Center, Dammam, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, from 6th October 2021 to 8th March 2022, among 510 children. A well-structured questionnaire consisting of 24 closed-end items related to socio-demographic data, children’s behavioural change during lockdown and oral health practices in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia was tailored. All parents or legal guardians of children aged between 6 and 12 years old were asked to sign a written informed permission to complete a questionnaire voluntarily. Statistical analysis was executed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22.0 (IBM Product, USA). Results: Of 510 children to be evaluated for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, 284 (55.7%) mothers, 209 (41%) fathers, and 17 (3.3%) caregivers were the respondents. Although one-half of the children 273 (53.5%) had no change in oral health attention, 72 (14.1%) had increased, while 165 (32.5%) had decreased oral health attention during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. There were three significant predictors of children’s oral health behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown including frequency of tooth brushing increased (OR=18.7), decreased brushing (OR=28.3), consumption of sugary meals (OR=4.6), and noticing of caries, toothache, bad breath, bleeding/ swelling of the gingiva (OR=3.1). Conclusion: Study findings demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic caused considerable behavioural and psychological alterations in children. The frequency of brushing, dental visits, and sugar consumption all decreased significantly