The Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Providing Special Care Dentistry: A Survey for Dentists

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the experiences of special care dentistry providers worldwide. An online survey was administered from 10 to 31 July 2020. Age, sex, years of professional activity, COVID-19 status, geographical area of origin and length of lockdown period were recorded for all participating dentists. The relationships between these variables and the changes in clinical activity, the treated patients’ COVID-19 status and the implementation of protective measures in the dental clinic were analyzed. A total of 436 (70.6% women) dentists from 59 countries responded to the survey. Clinical activity was reduced or stopped for 79.1% of respondents. The most common change was to limit treatment to urgent care only (53.7%). Treatment under general anesthesia or deep sedation was discontinued (51.0%) or reduced (35.8%) for the majority of respondents. Male dentists were more likely to maintain their clinical activity than female dentists (p < 0.001), and respondents from North America were more likely to do so than participants from other geographical regions (p < 0.001). Dentists from Latin America and the Caribbean were more likely to report treatment of confirmed cases of COVID-19 than those from Europe (p < 0.001). The implementation of protective measures in the dental office was determined by the survey participant’s sex, intensity of clinical activity and geographical area of origin. To conclude, the provision of special care dentistry was considerably reduced in response to the pandemic. Service maintenance was mainly related to the geographical area in which the surveyed dentists worked, further exacerbating pre-existing inequalities.

Recommendations for Safe Dental Care: A Systematic Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The prevalence of COVID-19 among dentists is generally lower than in the general the population [ 53 ], ranging from 0.9% to 2.6% [ 53 , 73 , 74 ]. The low rates of COVID-19 among dentists could be related to their compliance with provisional biosecurity standards upon return to clinical practice [ 53 ].…”

“…Dentists have implemented a series of prevention measures, such as initial triage [ 75 ], routine use of PPE and the N95 respirator (or similar) [ 75 ], physical distancing among patients, disinfection of equipment between patients, and frequent surface cleaning [ 53 ]. Adherence to biosecurity measures may vary by sex and geographical region [ 73 ], and also depending on the availability of consumables [ 76 ]; all of these factors may increase or decrease the COVID-19 infection rate [ 73 ]. Having guidelines that use a transparent framework to qualify the body of evidence is critical, to allow users to understand the mechanism used in developing the recommendations.…”

Occupational Infections among Dental Health Workers in Germany—14-Year Time Trends

“…Of the infected DHW with known disease status, 17.4% had a severe course of COVID-19. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among DHW was estimated to be 0.8% to 2.5% in studies conducted in France [ 59 ], the United States [ 60 ] and Spain [ 61 ]. However, the studies were survey-based and the testing rate among the DHW studied was very low, ranging from 1.9% to 32.3%.…”

Methodology for Addressing Infectious Aerosol Persistence in Real-Time Using Sensor Network

“…The performance of dental procedures for patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 or other infectious diseases can produce long-lived aerosols containing infectious virus particles [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Due to the limitation of aerosol-monitoring instruments, there is limited information on the number, size, persistence, and fate of these aerosols in medical facilities and dental offices [ 6 ].…”