COVID-19 Prevalence among Czech Dentists

Abstract

This work evaluates the prevalence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), among members of the Czech Dental Chamber. The assessment was based on an online questionnaire filled out by 2716 participants, representing 24.3% of all chamber members. Overall, 25.4% of the participants admitted they were diagnosed with COVID-19 by 30 June 2021, with no statistical differences between the sexes. While in the age groups under 50 the reported prevalence was around 30%, with increasing age, it gradually decreased to 15.2% in the group over 70 years. The work environment was identified as a place of contagion by 38.4% of the respondents. The total COVID-19 PCR-verified positivity was 13.9%, revealing a statistically lower prevalence (p = 0.0180) compared with the Czech general population, in which the COVID-19 PCR-verified positivity was ~15.6% (fourth highest rank in the world). The total infection–hospitalization ratio (IHR) was 2.8%, and the median age group of hospitalized individuals was 60–70 years. For respondents older than 60 years, the IHR was 8.7%, and for those under 40 years, it was 0%. Of the respondents, 37.7% admitted that another team member was diagnosed with COVID-19, of which the most frequently mentioned profession was a nurse/dental assistant (81.2%). The results indicate that although the dentist profession is associated with a high occupational risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, well-chosen antiepidemic measures adopted by dental professionals may outweigh it.

COVID-19 Vaccination among Czech Dentists

“…Due to data extension and the different focus of individual chapters, their results were analyzed and presented separately. The results of the Prevalence chapter were published in November 2021, the data of the Vaccination chapter are presented in this work, and the Epidemiology chapter will be analyzed in 2022 [ 3 ].…”

“…In the first half of 2021, the Czech Republic was the fourth most affected country by COVID-19 in the world [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Public health restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected the entire country, including the healthcare system.…”

“…The first phase of the research contained several chapters of different focuses (see Materials and Methods). The chapter focused on COVID-19 prevalence among Czech dentists revealed that despite the high occupational risk, the prevalence among dentists was significantly lower than among the Czech general population [ 3 ]. The study indicated that although the dental profession is associated with a high occupational risk of droplet infection transmission, including SARS-CoV-19, the working conditions of dentists in the Czech Republic have not led to a higher prevalence of COVID-19 infection among them.…”

“…Several works covered the pandemic’s impact on the operation of dental practices, but only a few studies focused on the impact on dental professionals [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Our team was the first to publish a study on the national COVID-19 prevalence of dentists from the beginning of the pandemic to the end of the first half of 2021 [ 3 ]. Although dentists are one of the most vulnerable occupational groups, information about COVID-19 vaccination among them is scarce.…”

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dentistry and Dental Education: A Narrative Review

“…The existence of protective equipment for dental teams, an adequate infrastructure as well as the correct management of patients, all contributed to an increase in trust and safety within medical teams [ 24 ]. For example, a recent study conducted in the Czech Republic showed that well-chosen anti-epidemic measures adopted by dental professionals can reduce occupational infection risks associated with SARS-CoV-2 [ 26 ]. On the other hand, other studies examining the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the Turkish pediatric dentists, showed a satisfactory level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 prevention, although infection control measures could have been better implemented [ 27 ].…”