Year : 2022

Volume : Volume 13

Issue : Issue 4

Address for correspondence :
Shoba Fernandes
vshobaf@gmail.com

Abstract

Background: The world encountered a pandemic crisis due to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). This mandated the dental professionals toward modifications in the treatment protocols to provide relief to suffering patients and avoid transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The aim of the study was to evaluate how dentists changed their practices during the COVID-19 outbreak. Material and Methods: Convenience based snowball sampling was utilized for this online survey through Google forms among 150 dental practitioners of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Questions pertained to modifications in practices adapted by dentists and training imparted to dental care teams for safety precautions during COVID-19. Results: Overall response rate was 58%. Out of which, 66% were specialist dentists, and 34% were general dentists. About 69% dentists experienced increase in teledentistry. 66.6% used N95 mask and 96.5% used PPE kits. About 98.8% responders confirmed hand hygiene practices and 81.6% dentist imparted training to their dental team. Conclusion: The most significant changes carried out by dentists were increased usage of PPE and the adaption of biosafety measures along with a reduction in workload. Dental practitioners are more susceptible to SAR-CoV-2 infection, necessitating the implementation of stringent preventive measures.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease-2019, Dental practices, Hygiene, Patient safety, Preventive dentistry.