92 - Effects of Early Preventive Dental Visits on Subsequent Operative Visits

Effects of Early Preventive Dental Visits on Subsequent Operative Visits

Authors: Vasquez, L., and Kakanantadilok, N.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the effects of early preventive visits of children in the Bronx on the age at which they will necessitate their initial operative or restorative dental treatment, if any.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for Montefiore Pediatric Dental patients ages 0-24 months (Group 1) and ages 25-71 months (Group 2) who presented for an initial/new patient encounter between January 1st, 2022, and December 31st, 2022. The outcome of interest is the age at which children in either group needed their first restorative or operative dental treatment, if at all, from their initial visit until April 1, 2025.

Results: Delayed preventive visits had a significant effect on time-to-subsequent operative treatment of caries (p < 0.0001). The median time-to-operative treatment for caries was 33 months (95% CI: 31 months, NA) for G1 - those with early preventive visit as compared to 16 months (95% CI: 4 , 23 months) for G2 - those with delayed preventive visit. Patients with delayed preventive visits were 2.84 (95% CI: 1.86, 4.34) times more likely to need operative treatment for caries within a shorter time span as compared to those with early preventive visits (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Patients with delayed preventative visits were more likely to receive operative dental procedures consisting of local anesthesia, stainless steel crowns, restorations, and extractions than their counterparts who had early preventative visits, who were more likely to receive minimally invasive operative treatment such as treatment with SDF. Lastly, of the children with high caries risk, those who had delayed preventative visits were twice as likely to need operative treatment with local anesthesia as those with preventive visits before 24 months of age.