Impact of the COVID‐19 lockdown on the oral health status of paediatric dental patients in Greece

Background Limited evidence regarding the post‐COVID‐19 dental status of paediatric patients is available, with most studies assessing only children's oral health habits. Aim To evaluate the effect of the COVID‐19 lockdown on the oral health of paediatric dental patients in Greece. Design This was a retrospective cohort study that included a questionnaire on children's oral health behavior and a clinical examination assessing dental caries and dental treatment needs using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System criteria, dmft/DMFT, and Treatment Need Index. The Wilcoxon signed‐rank test was used for a statistical comparison between questionnaire and clinical data before, during, and after the lockdown. Results A total of 102 children with a median age of 9 years were recruited from the current cohort of patients that had their last dental examination 6 months prior to the lockdown. Results from the questionnaire showed decreased brushing frequency with increased eating frequency and sugar consumption during the lockdown period (p