PEOPLE are giving less importance to dental care during the Covid-19 pandemic, dentists said.

They said patients are feeling less concerned about their teeth because they feel the masks they are now required to wear everywhere will hide any dental flaw.

Another reason for forgoing regular dental checks is the fear of getting infected with Covid-19 while some people are trying to save money eeconomic uncertainties caused by lockdowns.

Dr Lim Ghee Seong, a senior dental lecturer at Universiti Malaya, said some patients had even told him that they sometimes skipped brushing their teeth.

“Even some of my family members said this. Their reason was, ‘who is going to see my teeth and smell my breath while I am covered up by the mask?’” Lim said.

Universiti Malaya and Universiti Teknologi Mara (Uitm) are conducting joint research on changes in oral hygiene habits among Malaysians.

Lim said demand for dental treatments, especially costlier ones for aesthetic purposes, such as composite veneering and porcelain crowns, are declining.

“The possible reason for the decline is because many have lost their jobs or livelihoods during the pandemic.

“And the perception of aesthetic or beauty needs have changed because we have our face mask on for most of our social time now,” he said.

Lim also noticed a significant number of patients cancelling appointments due to the lockdown or fear of Covid-19 infections.

“Patients who came during the pandemic were mostly for pain management such as solving toothache problems,” Lim said.

Currently, public university dental clinics are only treating patients with emergencies, as ordered by the university management.

“We will only give immediate treatment to patients with dental emergencies such as pain or severe infections.

“As for the rest, we will advise them to go to the nearest private clinics. This is a good measure to prevent mass crowding in a confined space,” Lim said.

Dr Chong Wei Seng, who runs Puchong Twinkle Dental Clinic in Puchong, said the long wait at government clinics had allowed some private clinics to see better patient flow during the pandemic.

“However, there is still an overall drop in patient flow and some patients choose to cancel their appointments because of the pandemic,” Chong said.

He believes more people are slowly learning to live with the virus and are starting to come out for regular treatments such as braces, whitening and root canal.

His concern is for those who hold off important treatments that require urgent attention.

“We do not recommend postponing treatment as it may create even more complications. And treatments will usually become more expensive when things get serious,” Chong said.

Patients with financial difficulties should to seek treatment from government dental clinics, look out for free clinics or speak to their regular dentists for help during this pandemic.

Chong has also observed that patients who have been working from home for a long time have developed smoking and snacking habits.

“They are not aware that this habit may lead to higher rates of dental caries,” he warned.

Dr Han, who is known as YouTuber Gigi Han, said he was getting fewer patients too at the Q&M Solaris Dental Centre branch he manages in Kuala Lumpur,  

“Most dental clinics are affected but we are still lucky because we have been considered an essential business since the first movement-control order last March,” Han said.

He said Malaysians generally have become negligent in dental care.

He reiterated the findings of the 2010 National Oral Health Survey of Adults, that 9 out of 10 Malaysian adults suffer from gum disease.

Han believed that indifference can be solved by compulsory dental insurance.

“If patients have dental issues and the dentist explains XYZ in order to save their tooth, patients would proceed the treatment without an issue under dental claims.

“But currently, most health care insurance does not provide for dental claims,” Han said.

He added that dental insurance would also solve the indirect competition between public and private dental clinics.

Public dental clinics charge less but patients need to wait longer for an appointment.

And even among private clinics, “there is fierce competition in the big cities as dental clinics are coming up like bamboo shoots after a rain,” Han said. – August 7, 2021.