Evaluation of Claim Reports for Potential Impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric Dental Procedures

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate whether the postponement of dental elective procedures at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increased number of simple dental extractions, and/or decreased restorative procedures by analyzing data obtained from state-funded insurance dental claims. Methods: Paid dental claims collected from March 2019 to December 2019 and from March 2020 to December 2020 for children ages two to 13 years old were analyzed. Dental procedures were selected based on Current Dental Terminology (CDT) codes for simple dental extractions and restorative procedures. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the rates of procedure types between 2019 and 2020. Results: No differences in dental extractions but full-coverage restoration procedure rates per month and child were significantly lower than pre-pandemic (P=0.016). Conclusion: Further study required to determine the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric restorative procedures and access to pediatric dental care in the surgical setting.