The Impact of COVID-19 on Individual Oral Health: A Protocol for a Systematic Scoping Review

Abstract Poor oral health continues to be one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide consuming one-fifth of out-of-pocket health expenditure [1-3]. In 2017, it was estimated that oral diseases affect close to 3.5 billion people worldwide, with caries (dental decay) of permanent teeth being the most common condition [4]. It is estimated that 44% of all people worldwide are suffering from untreated caries in primary and permanent teeth [5]. International data indicates that dental caries is one of the most prevalent health conditions [6-8] and a leading cause of preventable hospitalization [6]. Poor oral health is also associated with a number of other chronic diseases including stroke and cardiovascular disease [9, 10]. People’s ability to look after their oral health is impacted by a range of social, economic, environmental and political determinants [11] and the impact of COVID-19 on oral health is hypothesised to be significant.