DIY dentistry during the pandemic – what are the facts?
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 15th March 2022
It seems like it wasn’t long ago that every article was focusing on one particularly unpleasant side effect of the pandemic – the rise in DIY dentistry among patients.
But was the panic based on fact?
As ever, we need to remember that every practice will attract different patients from all walks of life, so a blanket statement saying that DIY dentistry has become a huge problem is probably a bit misleading. Some dentists may not have seen any patients at all who have taken matters into their own hands, while others could have come across desperate individuals who, in the worst of cases, may have even been forced to extract their own teeth during the time when dental services were simply inaccessible.
It’s also worth considering that DIY dentistry has been categorised in a number of ways. Can we really compare someone performing a self-extraction to someone merely taking painkillers to alleviate dental pain? I’m not saying that both of these scenarios aren’t a problem, but it’s disingenuous to suggest that they are crises of the same level.
Regardless, research into the subject has confirmed that DIY dentistry, alongside a general fall in standard of oral health, have been measurable impacts of the pandemic thus far. An article I found that explored the topic spoke about how the massive shift in daily behaviour caused by lockdowns, working from home and other measures also meant that people interrupted their oral healthcare routines, meaning that many were brushing and cleaning interdentally less often.
A result of this is that the oral health of a substantial amount of individuals, especially those under the age of 30, was negatively impacted during this time. Interestingly, a survey that assessed people’s feelings about their oral health suggests that 45% of the population felt like theirs had become worse during lockdown – showing that people are aware of this too. This, coupled with no way to see professionals, a general loss of trust in services as they could provide no support and the pain of any problems becoming more severe meant that DIY dentistry was the only option that certain individuals could take.[i]
So, what does this mean for us now? I think now, more than ever before, the importance of routine check-ups cannot be overstated. While we can only do what is physically possible, it’s really a warning call for us to reach out to those patients who haven’t come for an appointment in a while and make sure that they know if there are any available appointments approaching.
The need for DIY dentistry is preventable, especially now that our services are operational again. If we focus on reaching out to those who we believe are at risk and ensuring that we continue to see as many patients as possible, we can help ensure that patients won’t have to take matters into their own hands.
For further information please call EndoCare on 020 7224 0999
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[i] Dentistry. Did Covid-19 really lead to DIY dentistry? Link: https://dentistry.co.uk/2021/12/21/did-covid-19-really-lead-to-diy-dentistry/ [Last accessed December 21].
