Assessing the impact of an Urgent Dental Care Centre on the Oral Health-Related Quality of life of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Introduction An urgent dental care centre (UDCC) was set up at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside the reporting of clinical outcomes, it is important to determine the success of a service from a patients’ perspective. The aim of this study was to ascertain patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient reported experienced measures (PREMs) of our service. Method The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) tool was used to assess the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) of patients, and completed before and after attending our UDCC for treatment. Patients were also asked to complete a patient satisfaction questionnaire. Results 146 patients were recruited for our study, with 95 patients completing the OHIP-14 questionnaires pre- and post intervention at our UDCC and 136 patients completing a patient satisfaction questionnaire. A statistically significant reduction in OHIP score when comparing pre- and post intervention was found across all 14 OHIP domains. The mean positive response rate (strongly agree or agree) for the patient satisfaction questionnaire was 97.1%. Conclusion A significant improvement in OHRQoL was found after treatment at our UDCC, with the majority of patients reporting a positive experience. We conclude that PROMs and PREMs are vital tools to assess service efficacy, help with the planning of service provision and should remain at the forefront even during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.