Social determinants of seeking emergency and routine dental care in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background Between March and June 2020, closing dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic except for emergency dental care was recommended. It is documented that health-seeking behaviors change during pandemics. The objective of this study was to examine social determinants associated with decisions to seek dental care in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A total of 4372 participants were invited to this cross-sectional web-based survey distributed from April 21 to June 20, 2020. The survey included a list of emergency, urgent, and routine dental procedures. Participants were asked if they would seek dental care for these conditions during the pandemic, and what pain severity would make them seek dental treatment. Logistic regression models were performed for predicting variables that explain the decision to go or not to go to the dental clinic during the pandemic for each dental condition. Results A total of 3443 responded to this survey. The emergency dental situation participants were most willing to go to the dental clinic for was trauma involving facial bones compromising the airway (94.5%). Only 65.8% were willing to seek care for facial cellulitis compromising the airway. On average 35.2% reported seeking teleconsultation as the first step. Eighteen percent of participants were still willing to go to the dental clinic during the pandemic for routine dental procedures. Multiple logistic regression showed that females (Odds Ratio (OR): 1.6, OR 95% CI 1.3, 1.9), people who had never visited a dentist (OR: 1.8, OR 95% CI 1.3, 2.5), and people living in metropolitan regions (OR: 1.8, OR 95%: 1.4, 2.3) had higher odds for not seeking emergency dental care during this pandemic. The pain threshold for seeking dental care during the pandemic was 7 out of 10. Female, those who never visited a dentist, and those from urban regions reported higher pain threshold before seeking dental care (P value < 0.001). Conclusion Social disparities were found in emergency dental care seeking decision-making in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was alarming that some people were afraid to seek dental care for life-threatening dental emergencies as cellulitis during this pandemic. This reflects the importance of increasing public health awareness and governmental regulations.

Fear Factor in Seeking Dental Care among Saudis during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The respondents were asked to rate the truthfulness of each statement on a Likert scale of four (1 for "not true for me at all", 2 for "somewhat true", 3 for "mostly true", and 4 for "definitely true"). As seeking healthcare was linked to fear and confidence in the level of provided care [25,27], these two items were developed for the purpose of the present study following FIVE format. A group of four dental public health experts approved the appropriateness of the items in estimating fear to seek dental care during the pandemic.…”

“…Failure to seek dental care can negatively impact oral health status. Even though some studies looked into the barriers to dental visits during the pandemic in Saudi Arabia [26][27][28], factors related to higher fear and reluctance to seek dental care were not widely investigated. Considering these factors is essential for targeting these specific populations in preventive dental programs during the current and future pandemics.…”

Psychological Distress among Bangladeshi Dental Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The details of each tool, for which the validity and the reliability were tested in previous studies, were discussed in our earlier published studies [27,31]. The K-10, having ten items, was scored based on the responses using a 5-point Likert scale; the scoring was categorized into low (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15), moderate (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21), high (22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29) and very high . The FCV-19S, having seven items, was scored based on the responses using a 5-point Likert scale; the scoring was categorized into low (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21) and high (22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)…”

“…During the pandemic, that practice potentially increased the risk of spreading infection at the dentist practice. It has been demonstrated that the virus in the aerosol may survive for more than 3 h, with surface stability over 72 h [ 13 ]. Development of that scientific evidence generated anxiety and stress amongst the students doing their clinical placement.…”

Comparison of Compliance with Infection Control Practices Among Dental Students in Saudi Arabia Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…21 A plethora of published studies has surveyed the knowledge, attitude, and behaviors of DHCP and dental patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. 17,18,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] Umeizudike et al reported a positive attitude among Nigerian dental students regarding infection control practices, however, their knowledge was just adequate. 24 Variation in knowledge regarding COVID-19 among Saudi dental professionals was most observed regarding the virus survival and handwashing hygiene practice.…”