The Awareness, Anxiety and Depression Levels of Dentists and Dentistry Patients Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic which started in late 2019 has had significant effects on all areas, especially the health sector. The purpose of this study is to investigate the awareness, anxiety and depression levels of dentists and orthodontic and dental patients regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was an online survey study including 679 individuals at the ages of 12-60 consisting of dentists and dentistry patients (female, n=395; male, n=284). The survey was consisted of 3 parts. The first part consisted of a set of questions on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge levels on the COVID-19 pandemic and attitudes and perceptions regarding infection control, sterilization at dental clinics. The second and third parts consisted of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Depression Severity (PHQ-9) questionnaires examining psychological status in the pandemic period. The level of significance was accepted as p<0.05. Results: While the rate of experiencing occupational future anxiety in the dentists was significantly higher than that in the patients, the rate of making plans for the future in the patient group was significantly higher in comparison to the dentists. The rates of thinking that the risk of disease during dental procedures is high were significantly different between the dentist and patient groups. There was also a significant difference between the groups in terms of their GAD-7 scores, where the scores of the dentists were found to be lower than those of the patients. Conclusıon: Both the patient and dentist groups had moderate levels of generalized anxiety disorder and depression, while these levels were higher among the patients. There was almost a consensus between the patients and dentists on the idea that the risk of infection is high during dental procedures. Because of the pandemic, the dentists experienced concerns during treatment, and the vast majority performed only emergency treatments.