Long-Term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Care Delivery in Poland: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted healthcare systems, including dentistry. This retrospective analysis aims to evaluate long-term changes in the spectrum of performed dental procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic based on the example of the university specialized centre in Poznan. METHODS: We explored the patient dataset from the University Center of Dentistry and Specialized Medicine (Poznan, Poland) covering the period from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2023. Services performed during the prepandemic (2017-2019), pandemic (2020), and postpandemic (2021-2023) periods were compared. Selected procedures in restorative dentistry, endodontics, dental surgery, and dental radiology were analyzed in detail, including data for both children and adults. RESULTS: Our study analyzed a total of 342,112 patient medical records, including 158,882 conservative procedures and 101,556 surgical procedures. During the pandemic, there was a significant reduction in conservative procedures, particularly commercial services. In the postpandemic period, the number of refunded restorations and endodontic treatments for anterior teeth increased significantly, which was not observed for commercial procedures. A notable disruption between surgical and conservative procedures occurred during the first wave of the pandemic. The prepandemic period and the first quarter of the year were more conducive to conservative and endodontic treatments. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant long-term shift from preventive and conservative dentistry into surgical interventions. Although the overall number of services provided has increased, more patients are opting for procedures that do not require out-of-pocket expenses. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The pandemic has a lasting impact on the clinical decisions made by dental patients, with a greater preference for reimbursed and surgical services.