Depression Anxiety Stress Levels of Dentists Redeployed to Filiation due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the levels of depression, stress, and anxiety of dentists redeployed to filiation during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine the factors that caused any changes observed.
 Methods: An online questionnaire was sent to dentists redeployed to filiation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: I) demographic characteristics, II) working conditions in filiation, and III) the DASS-21 scale, which evaluates the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress states of participants.
 Results: 206 (164 female, 42 male) voluntary dentists participated in the study. Off all participants, 77.2% had symptoms of depression, 73.8% had symptoms of anxiety, and 59.7% had symptoms of stress. All subscales of the DASS-21 were statistically significantly higher in females than in males, in single dentists than in married dentists, and in those living alone than in those living with family or friends. Among the dentists redeployed to filiation during the COVID-19 pandemic, female gender, living alone, and working at a university were found to be effective factors that constituted the high scores of any of the DASS-21 subscales.
 Conclusion: Dentists who were redeployed to filiation during the COVID-19 pandemic stated that they were negatively emotionally affected. Dentists can always be redeployed to the public health method in case of social emergencies. Therefore, dentists need to be trained and motivated for redeployment.