An investigation of the impact of the COVİD-19 pandemic onclinical practices in oral and maxillofacial surgery

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic is a significant health issue in our country, as it is around the world. In this study, the aim is to compare the age, gender, types of surgical procedures performed, and the presence of chronic diseases of the patients who visited the oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic before the pandemic and during the first months of the pandemic when restrictions were in place, and to evaluate their relation to the COVID-19 outbreak. It is believed that our study will serve as a guiding resource in the literature and for physicians when facing extraordinary circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic, concerning the anticipated patient profile and the treatments that need to be applied. This could provide a significant contribution to both the development of emergency management strategies and to adapt to such extraordinary situations and effectively meet the needs of patients. Material and Method: The study included patients who presented to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Dentistry between March 15, 2019, and June 15, 2019, before the pandemic, as well as those who visited the same clinic between March 15, 2020, and June 15, 2020, a period when the first COVID-19 cases were identified and restrictions were implemented in our country. In our study, patients were divided into two groups for evaluation; patients who presented between March 15, 2019, and June 15, 2019, were classified as Group 1, while patients who presented between March 15, 2020, and June 15, 2020, were classified as Group 2. Data on the number of patients, age, gender, presence of chronic diseases, and types of surgical procedures performed were retrospectively examined from the clinical records. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 21.0 program and expressed as frequency (%). A two-proportion test was utilized for comparing frequencies. A p-value of <0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. Results: During the COVID-19 outbreak, a decrease in the number of treated patients was observed compared to the previous year. Regarding the types of surgical procedures performed in the oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic, it was found that treatments not classified as emergency or mandatory dental care were not implemented during the pandemic. Conclusion: During the pandemic, while the majority of emergency dental interventions were performed in the oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic, the number of patients decreased. It was concluded that procedures not classified as emergency treatment among the types of surgical procedures were not performed during this period.