ISSN: 2573-8771
Authors: Findler M, Bernstein Y, Meidan Z, Tobias G*, Manor L and Mann J
Introduction: Over six months have elapsed since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Wuhan China. The Israeli government along with the Ministry of Health begun, on March 11th, to enforce social distancing and other rules to limit the spread of the infection. Materials and Methods: Patients in need of treatment were requested to call a phone center, provide information on the problem and provide medical information on themselves. The staff receiving the phone calls could check the dental files on line, and if the patients were not carriers of the COVID-19 they were referred to the clinic closest to their place of residence. The patients, for purpose of analysis, were divided into two groups: patients younger than 18, eligible for state financial coverage, and adults over 18. Results: Maccabi-Dent had 650,000 individuals registered as patients at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic “era” and treated over 15,000 dental emergencies. no significant difference was found between recipients of care by age or gender. The total number of patients who received care in these clinics was 13,782, 9,757 adults (71%) and 29% (4,025) children ages 0-17. The total number of procedures was 20,409 of these 55% adults and 45% children. Discussion: Patients avoided dental visits to locations which had a Corona virus treatment facility, yet, they came to dental clinics dedicated to dental emergencies only, with no proximity to a hospital. Conclusion: It is recommended to locate the non-coronavirus emergency apart from epidemic and patient-associated centers combined with tele medicine centers.
Keywords: COVID 19; Public Health; Dental Treatment
