Anxiety and perceptions on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic among orthodontic patients visiting a tertiary care center: A Cross-sectional study

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic is steadily rising, there is an increase in psychological distress among the orthodontic patients regarding their ongoing treatment. Thus aim of the study was to assess the anxiety and perceptions among orthodontic patients regarding the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on orthodontic treatment. A closed end online questionnaire was sent as Google forms to 300 adult patients’ currently undergoing orthodontic treatment at a tertiary care center. 266 patients answered the survey with a response rate of 88.7%.  Online consent was taken before participation in the study and the survey was anonymized and did not contain any identifying information. The descriptive data included the participants' responses using frequency and proportions. The difference in the distribution of responses were compared using Chi-square goodness of fit test and the level of significance was fixed at p < 0.05. Level of anxiety between males and females was compared using independent t-test. Among the respondents, 126 were males and 140 were females.  The mean level of anxiety level among males was 4.28 ± 2.28 whereas for females it was 5.85 ± 2.48. The differences in the distribution of responses by the participants were statistically significant. The COVID-19 pandemic showed to have a greater impact on orthodontic appointments and anxiety levels of patients. Females showed greater anxiety than males for visiting the dental clinics. The greatest concern that patients reported was the increase in their treatment duration and they also recognized the importance of monthly orthodontic reviews.