Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on dentists’ workforce confidence and workflow

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the U.S. economy and workforce, with marked effects on small businesses. Studies have evaluated workers’ views of financial confidence and advancement, but there has been limited focus on the dental industry. Methods To extend investigations to dentistry, published scales and pretested questions were used to determine workforce confidence and workflow changes among dentists. Data were evaluated using descriptive and bivariate statistics. In the wake of the pandemic, surveys were distributed to the American Dental Association (ADA) and American Association of Orthodontics (AAO) membership (N=656). Results Dentists’ top concern is increased cost of providing treatment (57.4% [Confidence Interval (CI): 53.5, 61.3]), associated with widely adopted workflow changes including reduced patient volumes (66.0% [CI: 62.4, 69.6]) and increased safety protocols and equipment (health screening, 75.5% [CI: 72.2, 78.8]), KN/N95 masks, 76.7% [CI: 73.5, 80.0]). However, the majority of respondents do not expect their personal or practice finances to be negatively affected after the pandemic, as only 18.5% ([CI: 15.4, 21.7]) predict their practice’s gross revenue to decrease. Conclusions Dentists are optimistic in the wake of vaccinations and lifting restrictions. Most expect their finances and practice performance to remain the same or grow in the short-term and expect long-term improvements post-pandemic. Practical Implications Results suggest that despite shutdowns and workflow changes, dentists have financially rebounded and anticipate future growth.

Examining the Experiences of US Dentists during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Policy and Practice

“…Furthermore, this qualitative descriptive study shares first-hand accounts of COVID-19's impact on US dentistry, reinforcing the increased cost of providing care, challenges with implementation of safety protocols, and concerns for long term practice finances reported in Liu et al's examination of the pandemic's effect on dentists' workforce confidence and workflow in the US [13].…”

The virus made me lose control: The impact of COVID-related work changes on employees’ mental health, aggression, and interpersonal conflict

“…The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic brings changes to the market, which have posed significant challenges to organizations’ daily operations(e.g., workplace lockdowns and mandatory quarantine) ( 1 ). In response to those challenges, organizations have to implement arrangements to ensure regular company operations while limiting the spread of the viruses, such measures including downsizing ( 2 ), mergers, and restructuring ( 3 , 4 ).…”

Safety and Health at the Workplace in the Context of COVID-19: The Case of a Dental Clinic

“…During this pandemic, organisations emphasise workplace safety to mitigate health risks and manage the problems specific to the crisis (Vu et al, 2022). Dentists face a heightened risk of infection with their proximity to the oral cavity (Liu et al, 2022). The dental practice involves close contact with a patient and the use of rotating and surgical instruments that generate a visible spray containing droplets of water, saliva, blood, microorganisms and other debris (Stangvaltaite-Mouhat et al, 2020;Uhlen et al, 2021;OSHA, 2022).…”

“…The workplace system affects the process performance, which, in its turn, makes an impact on patient, employee and organisation outcomes (Carayon et al, 2006). In the context of COVID-19, the changes in different aspects of the work system had to be made by adding new safety procedures, monitoring, personal protective equipment, environmental adjustments, regular disinfecting, changes in work arrangements, and altering patient scheduling and staffing to meet safety recommendations (Liu et al, 2022).…”

“…A growing interest in COVID-19 was demonstrated in numerous research works conducted in different countries. Scientists, WHO and ILO examined employee safety behaviours and workplace safety management practices (Lee, 2022;Vu et al, 2022), prevention and control measures in workplace settings (Agius et al, 2021;Ingram et al, 2021;ILO, 2020;COVID-19: Occupational health and safety for health workers, 2021), the issues of workplace preparedness (Stangvaltaite-Mouhat et al, 2020, Andújar Trabazos et al, 2021, a psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (Stangvaltaite-Mouhat et al, 2020;Uhlen et al, 2021), risks to healthcare workers (Khunti et al, 2021;Strain et al, 2021), employee satisfaction (Uhlen et al, 2021), workforce confidence (Liu et al, 2022), the fear of being infected and fired (Chen et al, 2022), and other work-related changes when dealing with the pandemic. Workplaces can be high-risk environments in terms of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks and subsequent community transmissions (Ingram et al, 2021).…”