Impact of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Egyptian dentists' fear and dental practice (a cross-sectional survey)

Toward safe dental service: risk perception and practice modification among Egyptian dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 was declared a major public health crisis and a challenge to healthcare systems especially dental services where dentists working close to patients face a greater risk of infection. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the risk perception and practice modifications of undergraduate dental students at Tanta University to ensure safe dental practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A convenience sample of 450 dental students from practical academic years at Tanta University, Egypt responded to a self-administered pre-designed validated and pretested questionnaire from the 11th of February 2022 to the end of April 2022 to assess some sociodemographic data, risk perception, and their practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

Females reported significantly higher levels of fear than males concerning; contracting COVID-19 infection from patients (97.3% vs. 93%) (P = 0.028, 95% CI = 95.6(93.2-97.3), anxiety while treating symptomatic patients (95.1% vs. 90.3%) (P = 0.050, 95% CI = 93.1(90.4-95.3), and fear of infecting their families (94.7% vs. 89.8%) (P = 0.049, 95% CI = 92.7(89.9-94.9). More than half of the students (53.7%) had good practice scores, followed by 44% with average practice and 2.2% with poor practice. A good practice score was significantly associated with the age and academic year (P = 0.044, P = 0.044). Significant predictors of a good practice score in the logistic regression analysis were; updating knowledge with current guidelines for cross-infection regarding COVID-19 (P = 0.001, 95% CI = 53.20, 2.733), asking every patient's travel history before performing treatment (P = 0.021, 95% CI = 21.149, 1.286), deferring patients showing suspicious symptoms (P = 0.042, 95% CI = 20.688, 1.054), following routine universal precautions of infection for every patient (P = 0.016, 95% CI = 36.469, 1.438), using high-volume suction for every patient (P = 0.025, 95% CI = 20.826, 1.226) and using safety glasses or visor (P = 0.036, 95% CI = 21.673, 1.106).

CONCLUSION

The dental students exhibited anxiety and fear while caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, considerable changes in dental practices based on the standard guidelines were observed among the students. It is strongly advised that all dental schools have student counselors who are accessible for in-person and online counseling sessions. Peer support is a great approach to spot problems with stress and anxiety in pupils and start solving them.

Response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic of dental hygienists in South Korea-Part II: Fear and anxiety

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the mental fear and anxiety about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among Korean clinical dental hygienists and to investigate factors influencing the anxiety felt after the outbreak of COVID-19.

METHODS

A questionnaire on mental fear (Fear-C) and anxiety for COVID-19 was conducted among 500 clinical dental hygienists in South Korea. Fear-C was identified with eight questions. The General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire was scored for the pre-COVID-19 situation (GAD_Before ) and the current situation going through the pandemic (GAD_After ). The scores for the responses to the questionnaire were 0 points for strong negative and 3 points for strong positive. Higher scores indicate higher levels of fear and anxiety. All data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics, and the statistical significance was set at α = 0.05.

RESULTS

The average Fear-C was 16.11 ± 3.89 out of 24.00. There were significant differences in Fear-C when the type of work organization and symptoms related to COVID-19 (Sx-C) differed. Significant differences were confirmed in GAD_Before according to age range, systemic diseases, and Sx-C (p < 0.05). There was no difference in GAD_After for all general characteristics, except Sx-C (p > 0.05). In the regression model of GAD_After , Sx-C (β = 0.526), Fear-C (β = 0.358), and GAD_Before (β = 0.515) were positively related to GAD_After (p < 0.001), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Most dental hygienists complained of Fear-C. GAD_After was significantly higher than GAD_Before . The factor that had the greatest impact on GAD_After was Sx-C.

Psychological Impact of COVID-19 in the Setting of Dentistry: A Review Article

The worldwide pandemic has exposed healthcare professionals to a high risk of infection, exacerbating the situation of uncertainty caused by COVID-19. The objective of this review was to evaluate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental professionals and their patients. A literature review was conducted using Medline-Pubmed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, excluding systematic reviews, narratives, meta-analyses, case reports, book chapters, short communications, and congress papers. A modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to evaluate the quality of the selected studies. The search retrieved 3879 articles, and 123 of these were selected for the review (7 longitudinal and 116 cross-sectional studies). Elevated anxiety levels were observed in dental professionals, especially in younger and female professionals. Except for orthodontic treatments, patients reported a high level of fear that reduced their demand for dentist treatment to emergency cases alone. The results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has had psychological and emotional consequences for dental professionals and their patients. Further research is necessary to evaluate the persistence of this problem over time.

Response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic of dental hygienists in South Korea-Part Ⅰ: Knowledge and practice of infection control

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate infection control knowledge and its practice of clinical dental hygienists in response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in South Korea.

METHODS

Nine questions (Q9-K) on the degree of knowledge acquisition of dental hygienists in response to COVID-19, and another 9 questions (Q9-P) on the practices for COVID-19 infection and spread prevention were prepared. From 500 clinical dental hygienists in South Korea, answers about their general characteristics, Q9-K, and Q9-P were collected. 1 point was given to each question based on the 'yes' answers from Q9-K and Q9-P, and Score-K and Score-P were calculated, respectively. To identify factors affecting Score-P, a multiple linear regression analysis was performed. In all analyses, p-values lower than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Average scores of Score-K and Score-P were 7.36 ± 1.35 and 6.26 ± 2.07, respectively. The regression model of Score-P was significant (F = 20.788, p < 0.001). Concerning Score-P, Score-K (β = 0.385), age (β = 0.275), dental hospital (β = 0.158), monthly income of $2,360~$2,730 (β = 0.104) had a significantly positive correlation, and the total years of career (β = -0.293) are found to have a significantly negative correlation.

CONCLUSIONS

Infection control knowledge and practice of clinical dental hygienists in South Korea was found to be vulnerable in the group of hygienists who are younger than 27 years old, working in dental clinics, and whose monthly income is less than under $2,000. Also, the factor that influences infection control practice the most was the degree of knowledge. Therefore, continuous infection control education and supplement targeting these vulnerable groups are necessary.

Investigation Of The Dentists' Fear Of Covid And Psychological Status During Covid-19 Pandemic

Amaç: Araştırmamızda Covid-19 salgını sürecinde hastalarıyla yakından temas ederek çalışmaya devam eden diş hekimlerinin koronavirüs korkusu, depresyon, anksiyete ve stres düzeyleri ile bunlarla ilişkili faktörlerin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Yöntemler: Gözlemsel ve kesitsel tasarımda olan bu araştırma Covid-19 pandemi sürecinde aktif çalışmakta olan ve araştırmaya gönüllü diş hekimlerini kapsamaktadır. Pandemi tedbirleri nedeni ile elektronik ortamda kolayda örnekleme ile ulaşılan 376 diş hekiminin katılımı ile gerçekleşmiştir. Sosyodemografik Bilgi Formu, Covid-19 Korkusu Ölçeği ve Depresyon Anksiyete Stres-21 Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Katılımcıların 226’sı (%60,1) salgın sürecinde bulaşma ve ölüm korkusu yaşamaktaydı. Covid korkusu, depresyon, anksiyete, stres ölçekleri ve DASS toplam skoru kadın grup ortalamaları erkek grup ortalamasından anlamlı derecede yüksek bulundu (p

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Treatment in Children: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis in Jeddah City

Background/Purpose

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has affected individuals worldwide. Considering the nature of dental treatments and direct exposure to saliva, blood, aerosols, or droplets from infected individuals, dentists are at significant risk of COVID-19 infection. Therefore, to decrease aerosol-generating procedures, minimally invasive dentistry (MID) is recommended during this pandemic. The goal of this research was to compare the flow of patients during a pandemic at a single university hospital in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia, and to retrospectively assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric dental treatments including MID.

Materials and Methods

This study was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of pediatric patient records, dental procedures performed, and minimally invasive techniques using the database of the King Abdul-Aziz University Dental Hospital (R4) system during the period of COVID 19 pandemic compared to the same period in the previous year.

Results

During the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatric dental patient flow included only 699 patients compared to 1151 patients during the same period in the previous year. The most common pediatric dental procedures performed during the pandemic period were simple restorative treatments, including fissure sealants, followed by dental extractions, and fluoride varnish applications. During the pandemic period, more minimally invasive treatments were performed, including the Hall technique, silver diamine fluoride, resin infiltration, and atraumatic restorative techniques.

Conclusion

Based on this data, the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on dental patient flow and the type of dental procedures performed on children. Minimally invasive treatments that minimize air generation are recommended; however, to establish the long-term effectiveness of minimally invasive treatments in pediatric dentistry, more follow-up studies with bigger sample sizes are required. More recommendations regarding conservative pediatric dental management after the COVID-19 era are suggested.

Mental health status of dentists during COVID‐19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Background

The effect of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) on the mental health status of dentists has been studied in various studies. The aim of this study was to review the mental health status of dentists during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

English databases including PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were systematically searched till July 2021. Studies that examined the mental health status of dentists during COVID-19 pandemic were included. The heterogeneity of articles was assessed with the Cochran Test and I ² statistics. The prevalence rates of anxiety, fear, sadness, concern, and anger were calculated using the random-effect model.

Findings

Of 560 initial searched articles, 15 articles were eligible to include. The prevalence of anxiety, fear of carrying the infection, fear of getting infected, fear of getting quarantined, and fear of dying people by COVID-19 were 64%, 92%, 85%, 61%, and 65%, respectively. The distribution frequency of light, moderate, and intense sadness was 22%, 25%, and 30%, respectively; light, moderate, and intense anger was 21%, 14%, and 23%, respectively; light, moderate, and intense concern was 30%, 30%, and 34%, respectively; light, moderate, and intense fear was 38%, 24%, and 15%, respectively.

Conclusion

Fear of COVID-19 and anxiety was very high among dentists. A significant proportion of dentists had moderate to intense COVID-19-associated sadness, concern, and anger. Providing educational content along with providing the necessary personal protective equipment and extensive vaccinations will help maintain the mental health of dentists and provide better quality services.

BDJ Open (2019-2020) and the advantages of open access publishing

BDJ Open is the open access sister journal to the British Dental Journal, and this paper aims to explore the various different articles that BDJ Open has published between 2019 and 2020, in order to highlight which areas authors felt were important to publish open access. Furthermore, this article will investigate the advantages of open access publishing to both authors and readers, as well as the scientific community in general, and will examine how open access publishing has allowed the BDJ Portfolio to publish a wide range of research, both in terms of topic and geography.

Examines papers published in BDJ Open between 2019 and 2020 to highlight which areas researchers felt were important to publish open access.

Discusses the advantages of open access publishing to authors, readers and the scientific community.

Explores how open access publishing has allowed the BDJ Portfolio to publish a far wider range of research both geographically and subject-wise.

Oral health awareness, attitude towards dental treatment, fear of infection and economic impact during COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East

Objectives

To assess the impact of COVID‐19 on oral hygiene (OH) awareness, attitude towards dental treatment, fear of infection and economic impact in the Middle East.

Methods

This survey was performed by online distribution of questionnaires in three countries in the Middle East (Jordan, Iraq and Egypt). The questionnaire consisted of five sections: the first section was aimed at collecting demographic data and the rest sections used to assess OH awareness, attitude towards dental treatment, degree of fear and economic impact of COVID‐19. The answers were either multiple choice, closed‐end (Yes or No) or 5‐point Likert scale for the last four sections.

Results

A total of 3782 respondents completed the questionnaire. Overall, OH awareness was low (mean ±SD; 1.84 ± 1.03), while attitude towards dental treatment (5.04 ± 1.68) and economic impact (11.29 ± 4.37) were moderately affected. In addition, fear of infection showed moderately high level (14.04 ± 4.11). All subgroups of the demographic variables showed significant differences among them in relation to OH awareness and attitude towards dental treatment. The regression model suggested country, gender, age, education level, income level and fear as predictors for OH awareness (R² 0.036) and attitude towards dental care (R² 0.141).

Conclusions

The pandemic negatively impacted the level of OH awareness. However, the attitude towards dental treatment was moderately affected. Increasing public fear and compromised economy influenced OH awareness and the attitude towards dental treatment.