We’ve been through a lot over the past almost two years now. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen our fair share of ups and downs. But one thing that has been troubling to find out is that hospital admissions were about 85% of what was expected based on historic patterns at the beginning of April.
In that same month, 11% of adults reported delaying care because of COVID, including 16% of Hispanic and 13% of Black adults, according to an analysis by Epic Health Research Network and Kaiser Family Foundation. While health care use did not reach expected levels in the spring of this year, delays in care remained prevalent. But the most delays occurred in dental health care.
Fear of COVID-19
With 11% of adults reporting that they delayed care or were going without at least one type of care in the past month, what was their reasoning? Well, most delayed care due to fear of being exposed to COVID-19. It is a real, ongoing threat and that makes sense why some have skipped the doctor or dentist. To add to that, 9.2% of parents delayed or did not get care for their children for the same reason.
The most common type of delayed care for adults was dental care. This analysis found that 6.8% of adults delayed going to the dentist. The reason why? Because of fear of being exposed to COVID-19. Next up, 5.4% delayed visiting their general doctor or a specialist visit while 4.5% delayed preventive health screenings or medical tests.
Dental care delays were also common among children. The analysis found that 5.3% of children had delayed or forgone dental care. But postponing health care services and appointments can actually do more harm than good, even in a pandemic. Missing or postponing health appointments actually end up masking potentially serious health concerns such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease.
If you have delayed your dental health care, call us at Pinnacle Peak Family Dentistry to schedule your check up now.
