The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on total treatment time of fixed appliances

Background Several aspects of the orthodontic routine seem to have been affected since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the duration of fixed orthodontic treatment. Methods This retrospective study evaluated consecutive cases of patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment that completed treatment before (n = 37) or during (n = 26) the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the pandemic on treatment time was adjusted for the patient's initial age, sex, number of debonds/breakages, number of missing teeth, initial PAR (Peer Assessment Rating) index (T0) and operator (n = 2), through multiple linear regression. The impact generated by months of treatment conducted during the pandemic period was also examined. Seven poorly finished cases were previously excluded, including five finished during the pandemic. Results Although the number of absences/missed appointments of patients treated during the pandemic was four months more than those treated in the previous period (p < 0.001), there was no significant effect of the pandemic on total orthodontic treatment time for both operators. There was also an effect of operator (beta = 10.42, p < 0.001) and gender, which was lower in females (beta = 4.77, p = 0.03), on treatment time (R-2 = 0.27). The other variables showed no significant association (p > 0.05). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant effect on total orthodontic treatment time, although a greater number of absences/missed appointments were observed.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the duration of fixed orthodontic treatment. The results showed that although there was an increase in absences/missed appointments during the pandemic, it did not have a significant effect on treatment time.