The COVISTRESS oral-health study: Dental-care access in France during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an interruption in dental-care services during the initial lockdown period. This study assesses the impact of this period on the perception of oral health and accessibility to dental care in France. A questionnaire survey was carried out (COVISTRESS.ORG) to study the stress and health behaviors of adults before, during, and after the first lockdown, i.e., at the time of the response. An “oral health” questionnaire assessed changes in the perceived difficulties for accessing dental care. Between November 2020 and April 2021, 339 adults completed the “oral health” section. The perceived-difficulty-in-accessing-dental-care score (on a scale of 0 to 100) was 21.6 ± 26.7 before the pandemic, 52.9± 39.5 during lockdown, and 38.1± 35.3 after it. Before the pandemic, this score was linked to an unfavorable perception of oral health and to difficulties in accessing health care. During lockdown, the score was associated with high dental care needs (RR=4.1; CI95%=1.2–13.8), and perceived difficulties in accessing the health care system (5.06; 1.8–14.1), particularly transport difficulties (3.0; 1.1–9.1). The factors explaining the change in difficulties from before to after the lockdown differ according to when the assessment was done. This study demonstrates the negative impact of the pandemic on perceived difficulties for accessing dental care, within a population with few socially disadvantaged people.