Year: 2021
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Aim: Dental treatment procedures carry a high risk of COVID-19 infection due to face-to-face contact with patients and dental staff, which has a psychological impact on dentists. In this study, it was aimed to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fear and anxiety levels of dentists. Materials and Methods: An online cross-sectional questionnaire survey comprising of 8 questions was conducted among dental practitioners of Turkey. Age, gender, education level, working status, dentistry specialty, working situations in the filiation team, professional experience and income status were the demographic variables recorded. The following 8-item scale to assess participants’ fear and anxiety levels in the COVID-19 pandemic was designed. Differences in fear and anxiety level about COVID-19 pandemic based on participants’ demographic characteristics were analyzed with Chi-square test. Results were reported as statistically significant at p<0.005. Results: Totally 250 dentists participated in the survey and 69.7% of the participants were female, 30.3% of them were male. Statistical analysis of the data obtained showed that the fear levels was generally significantly higher for women than for men (p<0.05). It is seen that those who work in the filiation team are statistically more afraid of being infected (p:0.001), carrying the infection to their close surroundings (p:0.013) Conclusion: This study shows the data of fear experienced during COVID-19 among dentists in Turkey.
Authors: Sinem BİRANT, Burak GÜMÜŞTAŞ
Institutions: Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul University
Language: English
Topic: COVID-19 and Mental Health
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4200220216