COVID-19 Outbreak Perception in Italian Dentists

Alberto De Stefani, Giovanni Bruno, Sabrina Mutinelli and Antonio Gracco
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Alberto De Stefani: Department of Neuroscience, Section of Dentistry, University of Padua, 35100 Padua, Italy
Giovanni Bruno: Department of Neuroscience, Section of Dentistry, University of Padua, 35100 Padua, Italy
Sabrina Mutinelli: Department of Neuroscience, Section of Dentistry, University of Padua, 35100 Padua, Italy
Antonio Gracco: Department of Neuroscience, Section of Dentistry, University of Padua, 35100 Padua, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-7

Abstract: The aim of this study is an evaluation of the Italian dentists’ knowledge regarding COVID-19 and their perception of the risks associated with COVID-19, their attitude in resuming their activities, and how they judge the institutional intervention on a health and economic basis. Methods: This research evaluated Italian dentists from 11 to 18 April 2020, using a questionnaire submitted via Google Forms (Alphabet, Mountain View, CA, USA). It consisted of different investigations about sociodemographic aspects, profession-related characteristics, knowledge about COVID-19 infection transmission modalities, symptoms, and attitude in treating potentially infected patients. Statistical analysis was performed using the Pearson chi 2 test and Student t-test. The α-level was fixed at p = 0.05. All data were analyzed with STATA 16 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). Results: 1500 dentists (664 men and 836 women) completed the questionnaire. The majority of respondents declared having been trained in infection prevention procedures (64.3%) but not specifically to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (48.7%). A total of 57.2% declared that they were not trained sufficiently to restart working after lockdown, with a significantly higher prevalence (Pearson chi 2 test, p < 0.001) among women (62.3%) than men (50.9%). Conclusion: Italian dentists were informed correctly on the mode of transmission but partially missed COVID-19 symptoms. Dentists considered the virus infection highly dangerous, and they were not confident in being able to work safely. The lack of precise operating guidelines creates uncertainties on infection control measures and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) use. The participants revealed apprehension for their health and the current and future economic situation of their practices.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; dentistry; questionnaire; infection control (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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