Abstract
Currently, SARS-CoV-2 is the primary pathogen worldwide, disrupting most of our everyday activities. The study aim was to evaluate its impact on the Polish dental community, standards of care, health, and welfare. Methods: A Google Forms survey was conducted among 303 dental practitioners. Results: Of respondents, 54.93% curbed the number of patients in the last six months, 34.21% declared no changes, and 10.86% reported an increase; whereas 70.7% of the respondents reported a treatment price increase within the same period (27.96% and 1.32% reported no changes and a decrease, respectively). Of the respondents, 15.5% did not close their businesses during the first wave of the pandemic. Most declared 1 or 2 month break, 30.7% and 34.7%, respectively. Some reported 3, 4, or 5 month breaks (15.84%, 1.32%, and 0.99%, respectively), and only two respondents (0.66%) did not admit patients at all. Headache episodes were more frequent among female dentists before the pandemic; after the pandemic, headache frequency increased among both sexes. Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) were more frequent among women (p = 0.017). Conclusions: Most Polish dentists followed SARS-CoV-2 recommendations and restricted their practices to admitting only patients with pain or incomplete treatment. Decreased sleep parameters, head, back, and neck pain, were observed. This situation may affect dental health conditions in Polish society over time.
Highlights
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This survey-based study aimed to evaluate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the Polish dental professionals population, their work, personal health, quality of life, and attitude toward providing dental care facing theSARS-CoV-2 threat
According to the collected data, women were overrepresented—the studied group consisted of 207 women (68.32%) and 96 men (31.68%), which is consistent with information obtained from the State Registry of Healthcare Providers, as the number of female dental practitioners in Poland (77%) is higher than male dentists (23%) [15]
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The SARS-CoV-2 virus started to spread drastically around the world in December. It took around two months to reach Europe and another month to reach Poland, resulting in the pandemic’s outbreak there. Because of its high infectivity, rapid transmission, mortality rates, and unpredictable treatment outcomes, most governments were underprepared to face its direct impacts, as well as possible long-term effects [1]
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