How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Effect Dental Patients? An Italian Observational Survey Study.

Gianna Maria Nardi,Claudio Gabrielli,Simone Bisegna,Arcangela Colavito,Roberta Grassi,Silvia Sabatini,Marta Mazur,Fabrizio Guerra,Nasrin Basari,Maciej Jedliński,Giovanna Acito,Roberta Cimarossa,Luigina Figlia,Felice Roberto Grassi,Livia Ottolenghi,Lorella Chiavistelli,Roberto Di Giorgio

doi:10.3390/healthcare9121748

Abstract

The primary aim of this observational survey study was to assess patients’ attitudes toward clinical dental practice during the COVID-19 pandemic; the secondary aim was to evaluate patients’ attitudes towards oral health by maintaining an appropriate lifestyle and oral hygiene at home. The questionnaire was developed using Google Forms. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: Part A—geographic, demographic, and personal data; Part B—patients’ attitude toward oral health selfcare and lifestyle; Part C—patients’ attitude toward dental practice. This survey, conducted during the months of November and December 2020, enrolled 1135 subjects throughout Italy. All data were statistically analyzed. COVID-19 has changed patients’ approach to dental procedures. Most of the people interviewed lived in families, and their greatest fear was infecting a family member. Restrictive measures forced people to stay at home, which led to an increased consumption of various types of food, including cariogenic foods. People said they felt safe when they went to the dentist, but they also paid special attention to measures to prevent contagion. Among the measures that should be introduced in similar situations in the future, people wanted telemedicine, a phone recall, and the possible use of video clips for home oral care instructions.

Highlights

IntroductionIn December 2019, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in China; soon after, in February 2020, the virus spread to Europe, and on 11 March 2020, the World
Health systems’ capabilities and performance were the main issues in all the affected countries, and in the interest of “flattening the curve” [2], meaning to decrease the number of new cases and the number of patients requiring hospitalization—restrictive measures were put in place
The questionnaire consisted of three parts: Part A—geographic, demographic, and personal data; Part B—respondents’ attitude toward oral health selfcare and lifestyle (n = 16); Part C—respondents’ attitude toward dental practice (n = 13)

Summary

Introduction

In December 2019, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in China; soon after, in February 2020, the virus spread to Europe, and on 11 March 2020, the World. Health Organization called it COVID-19 and declared it a pandemic [1]. By 25 March 2020, the country with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases was the United States, with 81,864 cases, and Italy was the most affected country in number of deaths, with 74,386 cases and 7503 deaths [1]. Health systems’ capabilities and performance were the main issues in all the affected countries, and in the interest of “flattening the curve” [2], meaning to decrease the number of new cases and the number of patients requiring hospitalization—restrictive measures were put in place. The restrictions consisted in flight limitation, borders closing, shutting down cafes and restaurants, closing of schools, and self-isolation at first and restriction of movement afterwards, with a total lockdown being the last resort [2]

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