382 - Parental Report: COVID-19 Impact on Children’s Nutrition and Oral Health

Purpose: COVID-19 impacted schools, access to dental care, family income, and everyday routines. The purpose of this study was to determine how these factors, among others, influenced children’s nutrition and oral health behaviors.

Methods: Survey questionnaires were distributed from August 2021 to December 2021 to 92 parents or guardians of children aged 2-14 presenting to New York University’s Pediatric Dental Clinic. The questionnaires were available in both English and Spanish and consisted of 25 items assessing changes in consumption, frequency and quality of food, as well as changes in brushing habits, dental visits, and caries incidence.

Results: 84 subjects were included in final analysis due to incomplete responses. Data analysis was completed using JASP. 92% of children were reported to be affected by school closures. School closures were significantly associated with a change in food consumption (*p = .04) and food frequency (*p = .02). 52% of those impacted by school closures reported increased food consumption, compared to 48% who reported less/no change (**p= .05). 58% of those impacted by school closures reported increased frequency of eating, compared to 42% who reported less/no change (*p = .03). The majority of parents reported their child was brushing less often/the same amount and failing to visit the dentist regularly during the pandemic. The most important reasons parents cited for not continuing regular dental visits were fear of catching COVID, the office being closed and cost of a dental visit.
60% reported their child was diagnosed with new cavities since the start of the pandemic. Brushing less and failing to visit the dentist regularly made this diagnosis more likely, but not enough to be significant. Diagnosis of new caries was significantly associated with an increased frequency of eating during the pandemic (*p < .001) and more specifically, an increased consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (*p = .005) and candy and/or gummies (*p < .001).