Background
COVID-19 continues to impact the dental community worldwide. The authors conducted a cross sectional electronic study to examine dentists’ knowledge, attitudes and professional behavior towards COVID-19 and the impact on their livelihood through a multi-site survey.
Methods
A questionnaire was circulated by electronic mail and social media platforms to dentists in North America, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific regions. It covered demographic characteristics and questions on COVID-19 outbreak related to dentists’ level of comfort on preventive and safety measures, provision of treatment, impact on work and financial implications. Responses were tabulated and analyzed by chi-square or exact Fisher test. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare means. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Results
A total of 1,251dentists responded. General dentists represented (63.9%) of the population and (62.5%) worked in private practice. On the level of comfortable with the preventive measures and provisions of treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the global score was low (14/30), and the differences between regions were significant (P <0.01), dentists working in private practice and general dental practitioners were less comfortable (P<0.01).
Conclusions and Practical Implications
Respondents surveyed demonstrated a lack of preparedness to confront a highly infectious respiratory disease. A new level of protective armamentarium in the dental operatory and updated operational guidance and policies are required, necessitating educators and regulators to ensure the delivery of knowledge and skills to oral healthcare providers. Dentists need to address the sustainability of their practices and have a robust business plan.
Choosing a completely SLA-surfaced non-submerged implant can reduce the amount of peri-implant crestal bone loss and reduce the distance from the MG to the first bone-implant contact around unloaded implants compared to implants with a machined collar. Furthermore, a slightly exposed SLA surface during implant placement does not seem to compromise the overall hard and soft tissue integration and, in some cases, results in coronal bone formation in this canine model.
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