Eur J Dent. 2021 Feb 23. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1721910. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate the dentists’ knowledge of the risks from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and how it will impact their practice.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: An ad hoc self-administered anonymous questionnaire was submitted to Italian dentists.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Differences in rates were calculated using the chi-square test. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.
RESULTS: A total of 849 dentists fully completed the survey. Eighty-eight per cent of Italian dentists are worried about the health of their families, with no difference in high-risk (red zone) and low-risk (orange zone) regions. About 86% of professionals report some income loss and 94% fear a drop in patients after the quarantine phase, with the dentists working the red zone claiming a greater economic loss and fearing a reduced practice after the end of the lockdown.
DISCUSSION: A large majority of the Italian dentists appears to be aware of the need for changes in their dental practices by planning specific sterilization processes between appointments, testing patients for SARS-CoV-2 serology, asking patients not to be accompanied, and reducing the number of visits per day.
CONCLUSION: The survey expresses the serious concern of the dentists for the pandemic’s effects on their profession.
PMID:33622007 | DOI:10.1055/s-0040-1721910
