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Assessing Google Searches for Toothache During Covid-19 Lockdowns Publisher



Sofimahmudi A1 ; Shamsoddin E1 ; Ghasemi P2 ; Nasser M3 ; Mesgarpour B1
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. National Institute for Medical Research Development, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Department of Health Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Plymouth, United Kingdom

Source: Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran Published:2023


Abstract

Background: Lockdowns due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced many dental offices to be closed. This study aims to investigate the association between COVID-19 imposed lockdowns and online searches for toothache using Google Trends (GT). Methods: We investigated GT online searches for the term “toothache” within the past 5 years. The time frame for data gathering was considered as the initiation and end dates of national/regional lockdowns in each country. We used 1-way analysis of variance to identify statistical differences in relative search volumes (RSVs) between 2020 and 2016-2019 for each country. Results: Overall, 16 countries were included in our analyses. Among all countries, Indonesia (n = 100), Jamaica (n = 56), Philippines (n = 56), Iran (n = 52), and Turkey (47) had the highest RSVs for toothache in the specified period. Compared with the previous 4 years, higher RSVs were seen in the world (as a whole) (2020 RSVs, 94.4; vs 2019 RSVs, 77.8 [P < 0.001]) and 13 countries (81.3% of the included countries). Conclusion: Generally, searching for the term “toothache” showed an increase during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 compared with the past 4 years. This can imply the importance of dental care as urgent medical care during public health emergencies such as COVID-19 © Iran University of Medical Sciences
Related Docs
1. Association of Covid-19-Imposed Lockdown and Online Searches for Toothache in Iran, BMC Oral Health (2021)
2. Reopening of Dental Clinics During Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic: An Evidence-Based Review of Literature for Clinical Interventions, Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (2020)