Comprehensive assessment of the possible oral cavity disease predictors in post-reproductive age patients of the Russian Federation Central Federal District during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the epidemiologic situation on dental diseases due to the direct impact of the infectious agent, deterioration of psychosocial status, and hygienic habits of the population.
Purpose of the study: to analyze the use of oral hygiene products and the significance of predicitve factors of dental diseases in post-reproductive age subjects during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Material and methods. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted based on the results of an anonymous online survey of 100 male and 100 female residents of the Russian Federation Central Federal District according to WHO recommendations, the respondent medical and social data, the data on storage, disinfection, and use of oral hygiene products during 50 days of the lockdown period in 2021 and retrospectively for 2019. Each response was transferred to a Google platform, and the final database was downloaded as a Microsoft Excel sheet, standardized statistical methods were applied using the SPSS version 21.0 software (IBM). Results. Medical and social parameters of the participants were the following: mean age 69,6±9,4 years (69,6±9,3 years for males, 65,6±10,2 years for females); 40.5% had secondary education, 59.5% had higher education; 69.5% were married. In 2019, all respondents lived in urban areas. In 2021, during the quarantine period, 32% of respondents moved to rural areas. In 76.5% of cases, the respondents themselves or those living with them during the pandemic were infected with SARS-CoV-2, which was confirmed by positive PCR test result. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the consumption of simple carbohydrates, eating after brushing teeth became more frequent (p=0.001). There was an increase in the number of persons consuming alcohol in excess (p=0.01), regularly taking vitamin and mineral supplements (p=0.0001), and having a sufficient fluid intake (p=0.0001). The number of smokers and consumers of dairy products in sufficient quantities did not change (p>0.05). The respondents reported toothache during the lockdown period (3% of males and 9% of females; p>0.05), discomfort in the oral cavity and difficulty eating associated with toothache or denture damage (21% of males and 23% of females; p<0.05). Conclusions. Gender, educational status, and marital status were statistically significantly associated with the dental symptoms, the use of oral hygiene products, and the need for dental care in the multiple regression analysis. During the pandemic, the respondents used to seek dental care for severe toothache and the need for denture adjustments. Factor analysis revealed the dependence of dentist visits on age, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity. There was a significant positive trend of rational use, storage and disinfection of oral hygiene products during the pandemic, which was inversely correlated with age and did not depend on the gender of the respondents in most cases, not having a significant statistical effect on dental and internal organ status.
Keywords: dental diseases, oral hygiene products, SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
Conflicts of interest. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Financing. The research is funded only by the authors’ funds.