Global concerns of dental and oral health workers during COVID-19 outbreak: a scope study on the concerns and the coping strategies

Abstract

Background Dental and oral health workers have direct contact with respiratory aerosols of patients during procedures. This study aimed to determine the main concerns of dental and oral health workers globally during COVID-19 outbreaks and the coping strategies that help the resilience of dental and oral healthcare system. Methods This scoping study was conducted in August 2020. After adjusting the search strategy, a systematic search of five databases (PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest and EMBASE) was conducted. Data was extracted using Microsoft Excel and the contents of retrieved articles were analysed through a qualitative thematic analysis applying MAX QDA10. Results Most articles were either editorial/letters to the editor/commentary formats (34%), or literature reviews (26%). About half of the articles belonged to three countries of Italy, China and the USA (each 16% and totally 48%). Thematic analysis of included papers led to the identification of four main global concerns and 19 sub-concerns. Economic, ethical, social and professional concerns are among dental and oral health concerns. Other results indicate on three main themes and 13 sub-themes as the coping strategies including patient management, infection control and virtual strategies. Conclusion Dental and oral health care workers have many concerns relating to COVID-19 including economic, ethical, social and professional factors. Resolution of concerns may involve enhancing coping strategies relating to patient management and infection control strategies as well as using new technologies for virtual contact with the patient without any risk of infection.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Dentists in Caribbean Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

“…Just over half (52%) of the participants felt that external factors controlled their life, while a similar percentage (54.6%) agreed that they were in control of protecting themselves. This study also found that the majority of participants were stressed about the COVID-19 situation, which was similar to the findings by León-Manco et al 2021 [32] and Bastani et al 2021 [33]. Although they were stressed, most participants of this study had social support systems and mechanisms to deal with the stress, which mainly involved calling friends and colleagues over phone/video calls and engaging in hobbies.…”

Australian dentists’ knowledge, preparedness, and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

“… 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 Additionally, financial hardships associated with concerns about losing their job or loss of earning in the practice as well as unexpected investments in infection control procedures have been reported as triggers of financial stress. 55 , 56 Jungo et al, reported that dentists in France were more concerned about the financial viability of their practice than they were about being infected with the virus. 57 Despite reporting being stressed at work, over half of the respondents indicated that they did not have debriefing or psychological support services at their workplace.…”

Delivery of Health Care by Spanish Dental Hygienists in Private and Public Dental Services during the COVID-19 De-Escalation Phase (June 2020): A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The wide geographical distribution and the representation of the public and private healthcare settings minimised the possible bias in the resulting data; however, these results cannot be extrapolated to the country as a whole. This methodology (i.e., via social networks) [24,26,28] was chosen because it allows faster and broader access to the intended populations. Some of the main concerns for oral health professionals after the coronavirus outbreak were the economic repercussions that the closure or reduction of the number of patients in dental centres caused [29,30], the increases in costs, and the difficulty in acquiring PPE, in addition to new investments in resources or infrastructures [30,31].…”