Global Impact of COVID-19 on Service Delivery and Vulnerable Populations’ Access to Dental Care

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 is most commonly spread through aerosol droplets and contact with infected individuals and contaminated surfaces. The nature of how this virus is spread will affect the practice of dentistry for the foreseeable future. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the global impact of COVID-19 on dental professionals as well as highlight the barriers and challenges of global access to oral health care during the pandemic, especially among vulnerable populations.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Francisco Ramos-Gomez

Francisco Ramos-Gomez, DDS, MS, MPH, is a professor in the section of pediatric dentistry and director at the UCLA Center for Children’s Oral Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure for all authors: None reported.

Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan

Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan, MBChD, MBA, is a professor of pediatric dentistry at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure for all authors: None reported.

Marcela Diaz-Betancourt

Marcela Diaz-Betancourt, DDS, MIPH, is a scientific associate in the department of restorative, preventive and pediatric dentistry at the University of Bern School of Dental Medicine in Bern, Switzerland.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure for all authors: None reported.

Gyanendra Kumar

Gyanendra Kumar, MDS, is an associate professor of pediatric and preventive dentistry at the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences in New Delhi.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure for all authors: None reported.

Thomas Gerhard Wolf

Thomas Gerhard Wolf, DDS, Dr med dent, Priv-Doz, is a senior physician in the department of periodontology and operative dentistry at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz in Mainz, Germany. He is also associate professor at the University of Bern School of Dental Medicine in Bern, Switzerland.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure for all authors: None reported.

Margherita Fontana

Margherita Fontana, DDS, PhD, is the Clifford Nelson endowed professor of dentistry in the department of cariology, restorative sciences and endodontics at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure for all authors: None reported.

Guglielmo Campus

Guglielmo Campus, DDS, PhD, is an associate professor in the department of surgery, microsurgery and medicine sciences at the University of Sassari School of Dentistry in Sassari, Italy.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure for all authors: None reported.