Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health and Professional Psychomotor Skills of Dental Students

Abstract

Purpose To estimate dental students’ self-perception of mental well-being (MWB) and its effects on their clinical psychomotor skills (CPS) once they (or their family members) get infected with COVID-19. Materials and Methods This is a cross-sectional (n =268) study from a public dental college in Riyadh. We collected data on MWB and CPS. An 18-item online survey was used to collect the responses from the participants. The inter-rater reliability for the finalised survey came out to be 0.86. Results The participants (54.3%) who were infected with COVID-19 recorded that their CPS were significantly affected (almost 4 times higher) as compared to others ( OR = 4.02; P =0.0004). However, 42.2% reported infection control measures at clinics resulted in bringing significant ( OR =2.22, P =0.04) psychological upsets, for those who were infected with COVID-19. Participants (45.1%) also reported that they have difficulty in recalling old memories or information due to the COVID-19 pandemic; among them, 46.7% were the ones who (and/or any family member) were exposed to COVID-19. Conclusion The study spotlighted the extent of dental students’ MWB and its significant effect on their CPS once (themselves or a family member) infected with COVID-19. Moreover, levels of infection control measures at clinics resulted in psychological upsets for dental students. Clinical Significance The issue is fundamental as participants enter the clinical workforce and face the ever-increasing demands of dental practice.

Prevalence of Anxiety in Dental Students during the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Meta-Analysis

“…As for dental students, they were already considered one of the most stressed students as a result of the academic pressure, competitiveness and workload [22,23]. Dental students have also suffered from the educational modifications that have occurred during the pandemic, such as the shift to online education to comply with social distancing measures and minimize disease transmission [24]. However, online education cannot fully address the challenges and requirements of dental education, placing dental students under additional stress.…”

“…Thus, it has been observed that dental professionals and dental students are the individuals most vulnerable to the risk of COVID-19 transmission [26]. Studies conducted with dental students show that they experience high levels of anxiety during the pandemic as they worry about infecting family and friends [27,28], but more so for those infected with coronavirus [24].…”

Stressors and mental health impacts of COVID‐19 in dental students: A scoping review

“…A total of 54 cross‐sectional studies and one case report involving a total of 31,457 participants were included. Ten (18.18%) of the included studies were from India, 14–23 seven (12.72%) from Turkey, 24–30 six (10.9%) from Pakistan, 10,31–35 four (7.27%) each from USA, 6,36–38 Romania, 39–42 Saudi Arabia, 43–46 and Jordan, 9,47–49 two (3.63%) each from Indonesia, 50,51 Brazil, 52,53 and UAE, 54,55 one (1.81%) each from Poland, 56 Iraq, 57 Australasia region, 58 Peru, 59 Germanym, 60 Malaysia, 61 Palestine region, 62 Malta, 63 and Latin‐America region 64 . One (1.81%) study involved participants across several countries including USA, Spain, India, Brazil, Chile, and Ireland 65 …”

“… 6 , 29 , 31 Additionally, when students were infected with COVID‐19, their clinical psychomotor skills were four times more affected compared to those who were not infected. 46 …”

Dental students’ attitudes and perceptions about intraprofessional collaboration/education

“… 3 , 4 IPC/IPE (collaboration between two or more disciplines within the same profession) and education between primary and secondary care healthcare workers is less well studied, but is becoming important due to the advancing medical/dental technologies and demographical changes, particularly those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. 4 , 5 , 6 …”