Abstract
BackgroundThe first state of alarm due to COVID-19 in Spain led to limit dental treatment exclusively to emergencies. The objective of the survey was to evaluate the amount and type of emergencies attended during this period, as well as to know how they were solved, and what measures were adopted to carry out dental care in these exceptional circumstances. Material and MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 312 Spanish dentists, who fulfilled an online questionnaire with 22 closed questions, divided into five sections regarding to various aspects of professional dental profile and emergency care. Descriptive statistic and Chi-square tests were performed (p<0.05). Results75.64% of respondents attended emergencies in person only when required, being dental pain the main emergency (90.38%). Dental emergency care in person involved a prior telephone triage of the patient to identify possible COVID-19 symptoms, as well as protective measures implementation for both, the patient and the dentist, at dental office. ConclusionsThe number of dental emergencies decreased during the state of alarm, being dental pain the main cause of dental assistance via telephone or in person. Triage of patients before scheduling an in-person appointment and protective measures implementation were common features in dental emergency care during the first state of alarm period. Key words:Dental emergencies, COVID-19, state of alarm, survey.
Highlights
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) was officially announced as the causative pathogen of COVID-19 by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on January 2020 [1]
A p value of
The respondents were mainly women (66.35%) with an age between 30-49 years (70.51%), general dental practitioners (49.36%), working in their own private dental office (67.52%), with one or two dental surgeries (50.32%) in urban areas (62.82%). -Generic information regarding dental emergencies care Most of the dentist (75.64%) informed that were attending emergencies in person only when it was required, 19.23% exclusively by phone, and 5.13% were attending their dental offices in their usual schedule
Summary
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) was officially announced as the causative pathogen of COVID-19 by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on January 2020 [1]. The General Council of Dentists of Spain’s Statement proposed several measures against cross-infection and specific dental treatment recommendations based on previously published guidelines [8,12] During these days several circumstances concurred that made this situation being a great challenge for both, dental professionals and patients. As far as we know, there is no available data about the features of the dental care provision in Spain during the most restrictive period of the state of alarm, from 14th March to 4th May. Thereupon, the aim of this survey was to report the amount and characteristics of dental treatments performed during this period in Spain, as well as the patient management and protection measures adopted by dental professionals against COVID-19 at dental office. Triage of patients before scheduling an in-person appointment and protective measures implementation were common features in dental emergency care during the first state of alarm period
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