Paradigm shift in infection control practices in dental clinics in response to COVID-19 among dental professionals in Thailand

Abstract

Infection control (IC) practice routines depend mainly on knowledge, perception, and awareness of a disease among dental professionals. However, there has been no report on the perception, awareness, and adaptability to the new practice guidelines of Thai dental professionals (dentists, dental nurses, dental assistants, and dental technicians) to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to investigate how dental professionals in Thailand perceive and are aware of COVID-19, and how they have changed their IC practices in response to the pandemic. Online cross-sectional surveys using convenience sampling during September 2021 were sent to Thai dental professionals. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 22.0. The tests were two-tailed, with a significance level of p < 0.05 and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The 1,177 dental professionals who completed the questionnaire were from the public and private sectors. Most respondents obtained their knowledge about COVID-19 from social media (91.8%). 86.7% had adapted to the new IC practice guidelines. The respondents reported that they had modified their work practices in several aspects; changes in administrative control, 1,039 (88.3%); enhancing local source control of dental aerosols, 1,031 (87.6%); heightening sterilization and disinfection procedures, 1,032 (87.7%); and improving the ventilation system, 994 (84.5%). As of October 2021, 1,162 (98.7%) respondents were vaccinated, and 47 (3.99%) had tested positive for COVID-19 compared with 2.30% in the general population. Among infected individuals, 10 (21.3%) were suspected of being infected while working in the dental setting. In conclusion, with an average worry score well over 4.10 out of 5, more than 96% of Thai dental professionals reported seeking updated knowledge and agreed that escalation of IC measures was needed. However, only 86.7% improved their COVID-19 infection prevention practices in 4 aspects and appropriate PPE use. The infection rate in dental professionals was 3.99%, with the highest infection rate in dental assistants. Despite statistical insignificance of infection rate between changed and unchanged group, it cannot be concluded that stricter IC measures are negligible as ones might contract disease from setting other than work.

Adapting to Pandemic Challenges: Thai Dentists’ Response to COVID-19 Infection Control

“…During the late stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by societal adaptation and a shift toward endemicity, our study revealed that Thai dentists maintained a moderate level of anxiety about contracting COVID-19 from dental treatments, with particularly high anxiety in providing emergency care to high-risk patients. These anxiety levels paralleled those reported during the Delta variant outbreak (11) . Despite the transitional phase, most Thai dentists, especially those involved in AGDP, concurred on the necessity of continuing respiratory infection control measures post-pandemically (7) .…”

“…Therefore, an intrinsic skewness in this study should be noted, as older dentists composed a small minority of the sample. The sociographic data were collected in the same way as those from a previous study of Thai dentists (11) .…”

“…The infection control guidelines for dentistry in Thailand are currently in force, and as advocated by the Department of Medical Services in the Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with other related organizations, the following measures are recommended: triage patients, wear personal protective equipment (PPE), aerosol local source controls and environmental controls (10) (11) . These are currently operational throughout…”

Analisis Determinan Pemanfaatan Pelayanan Kesehatan Gigi dan Mulut di Kota Depok pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19

“…Penelitian penelitian terdahulu yang pernah dilakukan di Thailand pada tahun 2021, diperoleh hasil bahwa pada periode pandemi Covid-19 pada periode April 2021 terdapat sebanyak 380 pasien (40,4%) yang mendapatkan pelayanan kegawatdaruratan kesehatan gigi dan mulut pada fasilitas milik pemerintah, sedangkan untuk layanan milik swasta sebanyak 27 pasien dengan proporsinya sebesar 11.4% (7) . Penelitian serupa juga pernah dilakukan sebelumnya dengan menggunakan populasi penelitian seluruh masyarakat di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Lingkar Barat Kota Bengkulu dengan total sampel sebanyak 50 responden menggunakan analisis univariat dan bivariat.…”

Knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and expectation of Thai patients toward dental treatment during covid-19 pandemic: an online survey

“…The Thai ministry of public health has established a minimum of 12 ACH as the recommended standard for the environment in the dental clinic. (47) Air purifiers are highly recommended in dental healthcare facilities to help prevent the spread of infection, not only of COVID-19 but also other respiratory diseases. (14) In addition, this study found that participants were more concerned about oral health problems If dental visits were interrupted due to the spread of coronavirus than contracting COVID-19 from dental work, as evidenced by a statistically significant difference in concern levels.…”