The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the utilization of emergency dental services

Jouhar

et al. 2020

IJERPH

565

644

An outbreak of novel coronavirus disease in China has influenced every aspect of life. Healthcare professionals, especially dentists, are exposed to a higher risk of getting infected due to close contact with infected patients. The current study was conducted to assess anxiety and fear of getting infected among dentists while working during the current novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) outbreak. In addition, dentists' knowledge about various practice modifications to combat COVID-19 has been evaluated. A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey from 10th to 17th March 2020. The well-constructed questionnaire was designed and registered at online website (Kwiksurveys) and validated. A total of 669 participants from 30 different countries across the world responded. After scrutiny, completed questionnaires (n = 650) were included in the study. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. Chi-Square and Spearman correlation tests were applied to control confounders and assess the relation of dentists' response with respect to gender and educational level. More than two-thirds of the general dental practitioners (78%) from 30 countries questioned were anxious and scared by the devastating effects of COVID-19. A large number of dentists (90%) were aware of recent changes in the treatment protocols. However, execution of amended treatment protocol was recorded as 61%. The majority of the dentists (76%) were working in the hospital setting out of which 74% were from private, and 20% were from government setups. Individually we received a large number of responses from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, but collectively more than 50% of the responses were from other parts of the world. Despite having a high standard of knowledge and practice, dental practitioners around the globe are in a state of anxiety and fear while working in their respective fields due to the COVID-19 pandemic impact on humanity. A number of dental practices have either modified their services according to the recommended guidelines to emergency treatment only or closed down practices for an uncertain period.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear and Practice Modifications among Dentists to Combat Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak

Jouhar

et al. 2020

IJERPH

565

644

“…There have been online questionnaires supplied by some public tertiary dental hospitals to identify whether their dental patients were anxious or worried about the delayed dental visit. Although the public dental hospitals still offered emergency treatments for patients, significant utilization reduction in emergency dental services was observed at the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic [5]. Some dental specialists were also concerned about exploding visits after the end of the epidemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…* Xiaoqiang Liu liuxiaoqiang@bjmu.edu.cn showed that patients were less willing to go to dental institutions, and the proportion of dental and oral infection in emergency dental care rose at the beginning of the epidemic [5]. The public tertiary dental hospitals in China always play a key role in dental health services.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health services provision of 48 public tertiary dental hospitals during the COVID-19 epidemic in China

et al. 2020

Self Cite

Objectives To assess the status of health services provision of public tertiary dental hospitals during the COVID-19 epidemic in China and to evaluate the regional difference of telehealth. Materials and methods The health services provision of public tertiary dental hospitals in China mainland during the COVID-19 epidemic was inquired. The status of non-emergency dental services, emergency dental services, and online professional consultation and the hospitals' geographical distribution were recorded and analyzed. Results All the 48 public tertiary dental hospitals suspended general non-emergency dental treatment while providing emergency dental services only. Ninety percent of them notified the change of dental services online, and 69% of them offered free online professional consultations. The penetration rate of online technology was significantly higher in the eastern region than that of the central and western regions. Conclusions There was a significant change in the health service provision of Chinese public tertiary dental hospitals during the COVID-19 epidemic and wider use of telehealth in the eastern region. Clinical relevance This report demonstrated that dental health services were significantly affected by the COVID-19 epidemic in China, which might lead to a long-time impact on dental care in the future.

“…(2) patients with urgent or post-op complications that should come back to the clinic [10][11][12][13]; (3) patients or relatives with motor difficulties of any nature that prevented the correct capture of images.…”

Section: Study Samplementioning

confidence: 99%

Can Teledentistry Improve the Monitoring of Patients during the Covid-19 Dissemination? A Descriptive Pilot Study

Giudice

Barone

Muraca

et al. 2020

IJERPH

154

144