Avaliação da prevalência de trinca, fratura e reabsorção cervical externa pré e durante a pandemia da Covid-19: um estudo coorte retrospectivo

Abstract

Emerging evidence shows that the pandemic has had significant impacts on mental health, causing increased anxiety and greater social isolation due to physical distancing policies introduced to control the disease. One of the most frequent reports from dental surgeons during the pandemic was the increase in the number of cases of patients with bruxism and clenching. As a result, a high number of cases of cracks and fractures were observed. Another possible consequence of patients' bruxism and clenching is the occurrence of external cervical resorption. The objective of this study is to evaluate the number of cases with the presence of fractures, cracks and external cervical resorption before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were obtained through cone beam computed tomography at the Slice radiology center, a private radiology clinic that is a reference in endodontics in the city of Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais, Brazil. The present study observed an increase in the number of crack and fracture cases in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Cases of external cervical resorption increased in 2021 and 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic brought several negative consequences for the population, among them the increase in anxiety and stress, which are directly related to the habit of bruxism and clenching teeth, consequently the cases of cracks, fractures and external cervical resorption have increased.