Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of COVID-19 factors and psychological factors with psychological distress among dental staff during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 338 Israeli dentists and dental hygienists, who provided their demographic data; answered questions about COVID-19-related factors; and were assessed by subjective overload, self-efficacy, and psychological distress scales. Data were analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression. Results revealed that elevated psychological distress was found among those who have background illness, fear of contracting COVID-19 from patient, and a higher subjective overload. Lower psychological distress was associated with being in a committed relationship and having higher scores for self-efficacy. Given these results, gathered during times of an infectious disease outbreak, exploring psychological distress among dental staff is warranted as the effects may be long-term.
Highlights
In December 2019, the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak emerged in Wuhan City, China [1].On 30 January, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic.Dental staff, like other healthcare providers, may be exposed to COVID-19 as part of their work, as the virus can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth [2].In dental practice, the possible routes of transmission for COVID-19, or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2, include airborne spread via aerosols formed during dental procedures [3], contact spread, and contaminated surfaces spread [4]
This study provided an evaluation of the level of psychological distress experienced by Israeli dentists and dental hygienists during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and assessed possible factors that might be associated with it
This may be supported by scientific evidence showing that there is an unwillingness on the part of dentists to treat patients with infectious diseases such as HIV [26,27] and tuberculosis [28]
Summary
In December 2019, the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak emerged in Wuhan City, China [1].On 30 January, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic.Dental staff, like other healthcare providers, may be exposed to COVID-19 as part of their work, as the virus can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth [2].In dental practice, the possible routes of transmission for COVID-19, or SARS-CoV-2, include airborne spread via aerosols formed during dental procedures [3], contact spread, and contaminated surfaces spread [4]. In December 2019, the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak emerged in Wuhan City, China [1]. On 30 January, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic. Like other healthcare providers, may be exposed to COVID-19 as part of their work, as the virus can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth [2]. The possible routes of transmission for COVID-19, or SARS-CoV-2, include airborne spread via aerosols formed during dental procedures [3], contact spread, and contaminated surfaces spread [4]. Dental staff may be conflicted about performing their professional roles as health care providers versus their roles as family members (e.g., spouse/parents). According to Maunder et al [5], the conflict of altruism and professional liability, on the one hand, with fear and blame for potentially endangering their relatives to a highly infectious agent, on the other hand, was a
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
