The Effect of Anxiety and Depression on Bruxism Among Healthcare Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease of pandemic proportions. Healthcare professionals who treat COVID-19 patients are exposed to a high risk of infection and long work shifts to meet the country’s health needs. This situation can lead to prolonged exposure to stress. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of bruxism, anxiety and depression and their relationships with each other. Materials and Methods: Our study is a cross-sectional survey study conducted through online channels. Health care workers in Turkey who were caring for patients with COVID-19 were invited to participate with a self-administered questionnaire to evaluate the frequency of bruxism, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale that was analyzed as global scoring, anxiety and depression sub-scale in addition to information on demographic characteristics. Results: Four hundred and twenty-one healthcare professionals were included in our study. The average age was 32.8 ± 7.06. Of the 263 people who did not have complaints before the pandemic process, 57 stated that they had suffered bruxism, and 32 stated that they had a sleep bruxism complaint at night for the first time. In anxiety and depression evaluations, women had significantly higher anxiety and depression scores compared to men (p<0.001). By profession, the highest anxiety (72.4%) and depression (63.8%) rates were in the auxiliary healthcare personnel. Conclusion: Working in pandemic affects health workers’ physical health as well as mentally like bruxism. It appears in parallel with the increase of anxiety and depression in Turkish health workers during pandemic.