European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

IMPEDIMENTS TO CONSERVING CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH POST COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Dr. V. Usha Kiran*, Dr. Ch. Srinivas Kumar, Dr. V. Rajasekhar

ABSTRACT

The health of a society is partly dependent on maintaining the oral health and hygiene of children. The ever-evolving and inspiring field of pediatric dentistry has a new challenge in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Constraints on children’s movements outside the home environment restricted access to their regular dental services. The ability to achieve and preserve good oral health under the given circumstances became a daunting task, if not an impossible one. This article brings out the challenges faced by parents/caregivers and pediatric dentists in supporting children to continue to maintain good oral health and minimize the chances of any acute episodes requiring emergency dental visits during such pandemic times. It also highlights the changes brought about in children’s education mode and physical activity due to the pandemic lockdown along with suggestions to parents/caregivers regarding the importance of physical activity, maintenance of optimal oral health, and the advantages of limiting in-between meals snacking.

Keywords: Children’s oral health, COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity in children, screen time.