TY - JOUR
T1 - Dentists' perceptions on present and future dental practice during the COVID-19 pandemic
T2 - An embedded study
AU - Denny, Ceena
AU - Shenoy, Ramya
AU - Das, Deeksha
AU - Mukherjee, Megha
AU - Baranya Shrikrishna, Suprabha
AU - D'Souza, Violet
N1 - Funding Information:
This was a self-funded project. Authors thank all the participants for their time given during the data collection.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Shenoy R et al.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Background: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant burden on everyone. Although dental professionals are at an increased risk of COVID-19 infection, currently, very little is known about how oral health professionals and their professions could be affected by the pandemic. This study aims to investigate dentists' perceptions on present and future dental practice in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted an embedded mixed-methods study at Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, with Indian dentists registered with the Dental Council of India. Results: Of the 976 participating dentists, 61% were females, 32% were 40 years of age or younger. Nearly half of the respondents (54%) acknowledged that the lockdown measures caused them a severe financial burden, and 56% were seriously concerned about being a source of infection to their family, friends, and community. Although 79% felt very comfortable or somewhat comfortable going back to work, they were all worried that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use would increase their financial burden and impact the number of patients seeking care. Even though a vast majority received the necessary information regarding returning to practice from their concerned dental regulatory bodies, some were unsure about the reuse of the PPEs because of the conflicting information they received. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic affected participants' professional lives negatively. Their major concerns were being a source of infection to their families and community. Providing information to dental professionals in a timely manner may prepare dentists to provide safe care to their patients while protecting themselves, their staff, and their families.
AB - Background: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant burden on everyone. Although dental professionals are at an increased risk of COVID-19 infection, currently, very little is known about how oral health professionals and their professions could be affected by the pandemic. This study aims to investigate dentists' perceptions on present and future dental practice in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted an embedded mixed-methods study at Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, with Indian dentists registered with the Dental Council of India. Results: Of the 976 participating dentists, 61% were females, 32% were 40 years of age or younger. Nearly half of the respondents (54%) acknowledged that the lockdown measures caused them a severe financial burden, and 56% were seriously concerned about being a source of infection to their family, friends, and community. Although 79% felt very comfortable or somewhat comfortable going back to work, they were all worried that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use would increase their financial burden and impact the number of patients seeking care. Even though a vast majority received the necessary information regarding returning to practice from their concerned dental regulatory bodies, some were unsure about the reuse of the PPEs because of the conflicting information they received. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic affected participants' professional lives negatively. Their major concerns were being a source of infection to their families and community. Providing information to dental professionals in a timely manner may prepare dentists to provide safe care to their patients while protecting themselves, their staff, and their families.
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U2 - 10.12688/f1000research.109918.1
DO - 10.12688/f1000research.109918.1
M3 - Article
C2 - 36339974
AN - SCOPUS:85141202274
SN - 2046-1402
VL - 11
JO - F1000Research
JF - F1000Research
M1 - 453
ER -