The Impact of COVID-19 Related Lockdown on Dental Practice in Central Italy—Outcomes of A Survey

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected lives and professions worldwide. We aimed to determine the behavior of dentists during the lockdown in Central Italy through an online survey. We demonstrated that the most frequent of urgencies, not otherwise manageable through telemedicine, was dental pulp inflammation. Although a statistically significant increase in the use of some of the personal protective equipment (PPE) from pre to during lockdown was shown, dentists were afraid of being infected during the dental procedures. Moreover, we showed that digital dentistry, telemedicine, use of the rubber dam, distancing of the appointments and further structural changes at the dental office are necessary to reduce the contagion among dentists and patients. No significant differences were shown between gender.

COVID-19 challenges to dentistry in the new pandemic epicenter: Brazil

“…Although the use of social media in research has been discussed [16][17][18], there is scarce information regarding its use to recruit hard-to-reach populations [19][20][21]. A combined strategy was important to recruit dentists working in both public and private networks, and doing so allowed us gather one of the largest samples to date for a COVID-19 survey in the dental field [4,5,7,[22][23][24][25][26]. The pandemic may have facilitated our recruitment owing to people spending more time at home and on social media [27].…”

“…While patient appointment volumes reported in May were significantly below from pre-pandemic levels, our data indicate that Brazilian dentists are open to the incorporation of telehealth programs, which may, despite its associated challenges, be a good strategy for mitigating the impact of the pandemic, while improving preventive actions and reducing unnecessary referrals [ 31 ]. A survey in Italy [ 4 ] reported that only 37% of dentists considered telehealth as a valid program, and less than 13% reported to have used it before. In contrast, 46% of dental practitioners believed that digital dentistry could be used more often in the post-pandemic period.…”

“…Studies on pandemic effects to dentistry have been carried out in other countries. A survey with 440 dentists in Italy [ 4 ] reported that 68% were afraid of being infected during dental procedures during a lockdown period. A survey with 669 dental practitioners from 30 countries [ 5 ] showed that 87% were afraid of getting infected with COVID-19 from patients or co-workers, and 90% felt anxious while treating patients who coughed or were suspected of COVID-19 infection.…”

“…There is also evidence of changes in clinical routines in dental offices: a survey with 287 dentists in Saudi Arabia [ 7 ] showed that 65% of clinics had a workflow for COVID-19 patient screening and new management routines, including body temperature measurements and social distancing in the waiting room. In Italy, telephone triages in dental offices have been reported by 57% of dentists [ 4 ], and 80% reported improved training routines on how to wear, remove, and dispose PPE.…”

Access to Dental Care—A Survey from Dentists, People with Disabilities and Caregivers

“…The data presented here are an excellent starting point for improving the approach and treatment of patients with disabilities. The literature has already demonstrated that surveys are useful to better understand various problems and evaluate the appropriate solutions [40,41].…”