A multi-country survey on the impact of COVID-19 on dental practice and dentists’ feelings in Latin America

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced the routine of healthcare workers. This study investigated the impact of the pandemic on dental practice and dentists’ feelings in Latin America. Methods: A survey was conducted with dentists from 11 Spanish-speaking Latin American countries in September–December 2020. Professionals were invited by email and via an open campaign promoted on social media. The questions investigated dental care routines, practice changes, and feelings about the pandemic. Descriptive statistics were used to identify frequencies and distributions of variables. Proportions were compared using chi-square tests. Results A total of 2127 responses were collected from a sample with diverse demographic, sex, work, and education characteristics. The impact of COVID-19 was considered high/very high by 60% of respondents. The volume of patients assisted weekly was lower compared with the pre-pandemic period (mean reduction = 14 ± 15 patients). A high rate of fear to contracting the COVID-19 at work was observed (85%); 4.9% of participants had a positive COVID-19 test. The main professional challenges faced by respondents were reduction in the number of patients or financial gain (35%), fear of contracting COVID-19 (34%), and burden with or difficulty in purchasing new personal protective equipment (22%). The fear to contracting COVID-19 was influenced by the number of weekly appointments. A positive test by the dentists was associated with their reports of having assisted COVID-19 patients. The most cited feelings about the pandemic were uncertainty, fear, worry, anxiety, and stress. Negative feelings were more prevalent for professionals who did not receive training for COVID-19 preventive measures and those reporting higher levels of fear to contract the disease. Conclusion This multi-country survey indicated a high impact of the pandemic on dental care routines in Latin America. A massive prevalence of bad feelings was associated with the pandemic.

Trends in dental insurance claims in the United States in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic: A 3‐year perspective (2019–2022)

“…A perception about how affordable dental care is for a given person becomes one influence in seeking care [32]. The current sentiment about the economic outlook [33] is likely exerting a downward pressure on dental utilization: while employment appears to be on an upward trend [34], concerns about the performance of the economy have continued.…”

“…With inflation being high since the pandemic, patients who would have otherwise been a more consistent user of dental services may feel necessary to cut back on purchasing necessities and reassessing the level of priority ascribed to dental care. The United States is not alone in this shift in the dental care market [35]. A panel of dentists accruing continuous data analyzed by the ADA have ranked various reasons for the downturn: for example, patients' cancellations or no‐shows [36].…”

Adequação dos serviços odontológicos do Paraná no enfrentamento da Covid-19: um estudo transversal

“…Para que seja possível oferecer um atendimento seguro para profissionais e pacientes diante de uma crise sanitária, é fundamental que sejam oferecidos recursos que proporcionem maior segurança no atendimento, como a garantia de acesso a EPI e linhas de crédito financeiro facilitados 19 . Um estudo multinacional latino-americano realizado no último trimestre de 2020 mostrou que os principais desafios enfrentados por CD foram: redução no número de pacientes, prejuízo financeiro, medo de contrair a doença e dificuldade para adquirir EPI 10 .…”

“…A atuação dos profissionais de saúde bucal durante a pandemia gerou preocupação e medo 10 , principalmente pelas incertezas e emergentes mudanças no processo de trabalho ante a crise sanitária 1 . Diante do cenário pandêmico, novos desafios passaram a fazer parte do processo de trabalho dos profissionais de saúde bucal.…”

Percepción de estudiantes de último año sobre la metodología y protocolo de bioseguridad por COVID-19 en la Facultad de odontología, Universidad de El Salvador

“…Percepción de estudiantes de último año sobre la metodología y protocolo de bioseguridad por COVID-19 en la Facultad de odontología, Universidad de El Salvador La mayoría de estudiantes consideró que el retorno a las clínicas se dio bajo las normas de bioseguridad estandarizadas en beneficio del personal docente, estudiantil y paciente, lo anterior es concordante con lo publicado por Souza et al en Brazil, su investigación fue realizada en los servicios dentales hospitalarios y menciona que los pacientes hospitalizados o ambulatorios tratados por el odontólogo deben adoptar directrices de bioseguridad que se ajusten a las normas internacionales de protección; antes, durante y después de la exposición, ya que los dentistas pueden ser la primera línea de diagnóstico de la enfermedad por trabajar a poca distancia del paciente, por lo que resulta importante que las escuelas de estomatología sean las primeras unidades en aunar esfuerzos para diseñar respuestas duraderas a los graves y prolongados desafíos víricos. 18 Asimismo, al preguntar a los alumnos sobre su grado de preocupación por el posible contagio de COVID-19 en el desarrollo de su año social, expresaron estar muy preocupados, dato coincidente con Moraes et al 19 en su estudio sobre "El impacto de la pandemia en los dentistas de América Latina" tema que se desarrolló mediante una encuesta en línea dirigida a profesionales de habla hispana en el período de septiembre-diciembre del año 2020 en 11 países, los sentimientos más citados sobre contraer COVID-19 en el trabajo durante la pandemia fueron la incertidumbre, el miedo, la preocupación, la ansiedad y el estrés, siendo el 34 % de los profesionales que expresaron tener miedo a contraer COVID-19 en el trabajo.…”