The Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Providing Special Care Dentistry: A Survey for Dentists

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Pedro Diz Dios¹  Márcio Diniz Freitas¹  Jacobo Limeres Posse¹  Denise Faulks²  Blánaid Daly³  Caoimhin Mac Giolla Phadraig³  MariaT. van Harten³  Alison Dougall³ 

[1] Medical-Surgical Dentistry Research Group (OMEQUI), Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain;Service d’Odontologie CROC, Université Clermont Auvergne & CHU Clermont-Ferrand, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France;Trinity College, Dublin Dental University Hospital & School of Dental Sciences, Dublin 2, Ireland;

关键词: COVID-19;    dentistry;    disability;    special care dentistry;    dental care;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph18062970

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the experiences of special care dentistry providers worldwide. An online survey was administered from 10 to 31 July 2020. Age, sex, years of professional activity, COVID-19 status, geographical area of origin and length of lockdown period were recorded for all participating dentists. The relationships between these variables and the changes in clinical activity, the treated patients’ COVID-19 status and the implementation of protective measures in the dental clinic were analyzed. A total of 436 (70.6% women) dentists from 59 countries responded to the survey. Clinical activity was reduced or stopped for 79.1% of respondents. The most common change was to limit treatment to urgent care only (53.7%). Treatment under general anesthesia or deep sedation was discontinued (51.0%) or reduced (35.8%) for the majority of respondents. Male dentists were more likely to maintain their clinical activity than female dentists (p < 0.001), and respondents from North America were more likely to do so than participants from other geographical regions (p < 0.001). Dentists from Latin America and the Caribbean were more likely to report treatment of confirmed cases of COVID-19 than those from Europe (p < 0.001). The implementation of protective measures in the dental office was determined by the survey participant’s sex, intensity of clinical activity and geographical area of origin. To conclude, the provision of special care dentistry was considerably reduced in response to the pandemic. Service maintenance was mainly related to the geographical area in which the surveyed dentists worked, further exacerbating pre-existing inequalities.

【 授权许可】

Unknown