Among 921 pediatric patients who were tested for COVID-19 upon arrival to their dental appointment, 2.3 percent tested positive, according to research published in the April edition of the Journal of the American Dental Association.
The study, led by Flavia Lamberghini, DDS, a pediatric dentist at the University of Illinois Chicago, involved 921 patients aged 2 to 18 who visited UIC dental clinics for emergency procedures between April 1 and Aug. 1. The patients, who were asymptomatic upon arrival, were given a polymerase chain reaction test.
The overall positivity rate was 2.3 percent, findings showed.
"For most of them [parents,] it was a surprise to learn their child tested positive," Dr. Lamberghini said. "It was good for families to know because these kids can transmit the virus, especially in communities where extended families tend to live together."
The study didn't consider variables such as social distancing and virus exposure.
"PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 of asymptomatic patients in pediatric dentistry adds value to the use of screening questionnaires for the identification of infected people who could be contagious," the study concluded.