Abstract
Introduction: Studies of dental practitioners performed around the world demonstrate that COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacts their daily activities lives, social functions, and health-care providing duties. The aim of the study is to evaluate the pandemic-induced psychological stress and associated factors on dental academics in Iraq.Methods: We conduct an observational study using a self-administered survey to obtain data from dental academics in many colleges of dentistry within Baghdad city. A closed-ended questionnaire was utilized, to assess post-traumatic responses to particular events. The Impact of Event Scale was used to assess the level of stress in the first of two outcomes. The second depicts the effects of COVID-19 on behavioral changes.Results: A total of 108 participants from seven colleges in Bagdad responded. About 38% reported a state of severe stress, 46.3% showed moderate stress, and 13.9% complained of mild states of stress. Stress levels were found to be substantially linked to fear of infection, worries about professional responsibilities, and limited mobility.Conclusion: The pandemic stress induces psychological and behavioral changes on the Iraqi dental educators, which can never be eliminated.
Highlights
Studies of dental practitioners performed around the world demonstrate that COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacts their daily activities lives, social functions, and health-care providing duties
The present study evaluates the pandemic-induced psychological stress and associated factors on dental academics in Iraq
Concerns about professional responsibilities, and limited mobility were all significantly associated with stress levels among dental academics (p < 0.005), with the exception of the part about finishing reports/assignments before due dates, which was attributed to the COVID19 outbreak
Summary
Studies of dental practitioners performed around the world demonstrate that COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacts their daily activities lives, social functions, and health-care providing duties. On March 13, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this new strain of coronavirus sickness a pandemic after it quickly swept across China and the rest of the world [1]. This has an indirect or direct impact on every part of the globe [2]. Dentistry has become one of the professions most vulnerable to COVID-19 exposure since they work in close contact with patients [3]. Close contact with patients results in frequent exposure to body fluids such as blood and saliva, the dissemination
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