Pandemic Has Taken Toll On Oral Health

The New York Times  (5/19, Tingley) reports, “There are early indications that the pandemic is taking a serious, and potentially long-lasting, toll on our oral health.” In September, an American Dental Association survey “found that more than half of the dentists who responded were seeing an increase in stress-related conditions among patients,” including “teeth grinding, cracked and chipped teeth and symptoms of temporomandibular joint dysfunction, like jaw pain.” Also, “more than a quarter of the dentists reported an increase in cavities and gum disease – quite likely a result of changes in people’s diets and hygiene.”