Paediatric Dentistry and the coronavirus (COVID-19) response in the North East of England and North Cumbria

Introduction: Coronavirus (COVID-19) has dramatically changed the landscape of dentistry including Paediatric Dentistry. This paper explores paediatric patient data within a wider service evaluation completed within an Urgent Dental Care Centre in the North East of England and North Cumbria over a 6-week period. Aim: To assess demand for the service, patient demographics and inform paediatric urgent dental care pathways. Main outcome methods: Data collected included key characteristics of paediatric patients accessing Paediatric Dental Services from 23rd March to 3rd May 2020. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Results: There were 369 consultations (207 telephone, 124 face-to-face and 38 Out of Hours consultations). The mean age of children accessing the service was 7 years old. 7% of those attending face-to-face visits were reattenders. The most common diagnoses were irreversible pulpitis and dental trauma. 49% of face-to-face consultations resulted in extractions, 28% with General Anaesthetic, and 21% with Local Anaesthetic. Conclusion: Management of dental emergencies provided by the Urgent Dental Care Centre for paediatric patients has largely been effective and confirmed the efficacy of patient pathways established.