CARIES TREATMENT NEEDS IN SCHOOLCHILDREN BEFORE AND AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

Abstract: Aim:To compare the caries treatment need profiles for schoolchildren in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA), before and after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Methods: Based on a population of 1-st grade students from public schools in CABA, we obtained a sample of 22,343 students (year 2019 pre-pandemic - G1 = 14,212 students/year 2022 post-pandemic - G2 = 8,132 students). The sample was weighted according to school enrollment per commune and grouped into three regions: South, Center and North of the city. After an on-site evaluation by dentists with standardized criteria, we established the need for caries treatment using the Caries Treatment Need Index (INTC). Information was collected regarding the type of health coverage, calculating the percentage of schoolchildren with exclusive public coverage (CPE), and the prior attendance to the dentist. We calculated the percentage distribution of INTC values, ​​grouped into four categories: 00-02 (need for preventive treatments); 03-06 (need for low complexity treatments); 7-10 (need for medium complexity treatments); and ≥11 (need for highly complex treatments). We calculated the frequency distribution of the analyzed variables. The statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test and comparison of proportions with Bonferroni correction. Results: INTC 00-02 was G1: 30.8% and G2: 29.5%; INTC 03-06 was G1: 29.5% and G2: 36.3%; INTC 07-10 was G1: 18.6% and G2: 21.9%; and INTC 11-14 was G1: 21.0% and G2: 12.2%, showing an increase between groups in the 03-06 and 07-10 categories and a decrease between groups in the 11-14 category (p<0.001). The percentage of schoolchildren with CPE for G1/G2 in the Southern region was 69.8%/73.2%; the Central region, 49.2%/53.4%; and the Northern region, 39.0%/36.1% (p<0.001). The percentage of prior attendance to the dentist for G1/G2 in the South region was 59.8%/52.75%; the Central region, 68.7%/62.4%; and the Northern region, 75.7%/67.6% (p<0.001). Conclusion: In schoolchildren who attend public schools in CABA, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with changes in the complexity of the caries treatment need, the type of health coverage, and the prior attendance to the dentist.