Repercussões da pandemia de Covid-19 na alimentação e no cuidado com a saúde bucal em população pediátrica

Abstract

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, some measures have been implemented around the world to reduce the spread of the disease. These changes caused significant impacts on people's lifestyle, especially for children, who during the period of social isolation were reclusive to their family environments. This research aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diet, oral health care and lifestyle of children attended at the dental clinics of the FFOE/UFC dentistry course. The methodology consisted of a descriptive and exploratory study with a quantitative approach, where parents of children aged 3 - 9 years were interviewed in order to investigate whether there was a significant change in eating habits (KIDMED Test), diet and oral hygiene before and during the period of stricter isolation. A questionnaire was used with the children's parents and/or guardians. Data were tabulated in Microsoft Excel and exported to SPSS. After categorization, the analyzes were performed using Pearson's chi-square or Fisher's exact tests and expressed as absolute frequency and percentage. During the lockdown period, only 12% of participants had high adherence to the Mediterranean diet, 72% increased their eating frequency by at least one meal/day and 74% reported having increased their consumption of sugary foods. With regard to lifestyle, there was also a major decrease in the number of hours of physical activity practiced, the percentage of children sleeping more than 9 hours increased and the time of exposure to digital screens as well. Regarding oral hygiene habits, 58% of the children maintained their brushing habits. Almost all of those surveyed used fluoride toothpaste in both studied periods. Cases of toothache and tooth abscesses during the lockdown accounted for 32% and 26% respectively. A few oral hygiene factors were improved during the Lockdon period, such as the use of fluoride toothpaste and the increase in children brushing at night. However, even considering these positive aspects, the negative influence of food suggests a high risk factor for caries.