Distribution of Periodontal Patient Visits at Dental Hospital During COVID-19 Pandemic

Since the outbreak of Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, many activities have been restricted, including the provision of dental treatments. Most periodontal treatments are categorized as high-risk activities for COVID-19 transmission. This study aims to evaluate the distribution of periodontal patients who visited dental hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional approach was taken for this descriptive and observational research. Data were collected from 167 medical records of patients who visited the periodontal clinic in dental hospital of Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Indonesia (RSKGM FKG UI) between June 2020 and May 2021. We divided those periods into three terms according to government policies. A statistical analysis was conducted using data frequencies and Kruskal-Wallis test. The primary patient complaint was the need for teeth cleaning (29.3%). Most of the patients (71.8%) had periodontitis, most often categorized as stage III grade C. The number of visits to the RSKGM FKG UI periodontal clinic increased in each term studied: June–September 2020, October 2020–January 2021, and February–May 2021. Conclusion. The increase in periodontal patients in this study suggests that people feel more secure about undergoing periodontal treatment than they did when the pandemic began.