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Abstract

Given the disruptions to dental practice because of COVID-19 in 2020, the question arose as to how dental patients would return to dental care in the following years, and if treatment patterns would be different, or would return to the previous patterns. Further, it was desired to understand whether patients of different ages would return to dental practices and use dental services differently. In order to assess these questions, utilization patterns among commercial enrollees within Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana were explored. The analysis, spanning from 2018 to 2023, focused on diagnostic, preventative, and restorative procedures across diverse age groups.

For individuals under 18 years of age, there was an observed increase in dental care in 2019, followed by a notable downturn in 2020, with subsequent recovery in 2021 and 2023. Age groups 18-60 mirrored similar patterns, while those aged 60 also were similar, with extra fluctuations in diagnostic procedures in 2022. Results indicated that post-pandemic, diagnostic and preventative treatments showed an upward trend across all age groups, aligning with historical trends. Conversely, use of restorative procedures per capita continued a pre-COVID gradual yearly decline. The findings suggested that, despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, dental care trends realigned with historical patterns previously published, following the patterns observed since 1992. Diagnostic and preventative services continued to increase, and restorative procedures continued to decline.

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