IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i10p3459-d358642.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Epidemiological Aspects and Psychological Reactions to COVID-19 of Dental Practitioners in the Northern Italy Districts of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Author

Listed:
  • Ugo Consolo

    (Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with Transplant Surgery, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine Relevance-Unit of Dentistry and Oral-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy)

  • Pierantonio Bellini

    (Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with Transplant Surgery, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine Relevance-Unit of Dentistry and Oral-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy)

  • Davide Bencivenni

    (Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with Transplant Surgery, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine Relevance-Unit of Dentistry and Oral-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy)

  • Cristina Iani

    (Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with Transplant Surgery, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine Relevance-Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy)

  • Vittorio Checchi

    (Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with Transplant Surgery, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine Relevance-Unit of Dentistry and Oral-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy)

Abstract

The outbreak and diffusion of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (Sars-CoV-2) and COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) have caused an emergency status in the health system, including in the dentistry environment. Italy registered the third highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world and the second highest in Europe. An anonymous online survey composed of 40 questions has been sent to dentists practicing in the area of Modena and Reggio Emilia, one of the areas in Italy most affected by COVID-19. The survey was aimed at highlighting the practical and emotional consequences of COVID-19 emergence on daily clinical practice. Specifically, it assessed dentists’ behavioral responses, emotions and concerns following the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic restrictive measures introduced by the Italian national administrative order of 10 March 2020 (DM-10M20), as well as the dentists’ perception of infection likelihood for themselves and patients. Furthermore, the psychological impact of COVID-19 was assessed by means of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 test (GAD-7), that measures the presence and severity of anxiety symptoms. Using local dental associations (ANDI-Associazione Nazionale Dentisti Italiani, CAO-Commissione Albo Odontoiatri) lists, the survey was sent by email to all dentists in the district of Modena and Reggio Emilia (874 practitioners) and was completed by 356 of them (40%). All dental practitioners closed or reduced their activity to urgent procedures, 38.2% prior to and 61.8% after the DM-10M20. All reported a routinely use of the most common protective personal equipment (PPE), but also admitted that the use of PPE had to be modified during COVID-19 pandemic. A high percentage of patients canceled their previous appointments after the DM-10M20. Almost 85% of the dentists reported being worried of contracting the infection during clinical activity. The results of the GAD-7 (General Anxiety Disorder-7) evaluation showed that 9% of respondents reported a severe anxiety. To conclude, the COVID-19 emergency is having a highly negative impact on the activity of dentists practicing in the area of Modena and Reggio Emilia. All respondents reported practice closure or strong activity reduction. The perception of this negative impact was accompanied by feelings of concern (70.2%), anxiety (46.4%) and fear (42.4%). The majority of them (89.6%) reported concerns about their professional future and the hope for economic measures to help dental practitioners.

Suggested Citation

  • Ugo Consolo & Pierantonio Bellini & Davide Bencivenni & Cristina Iani & Vittorio Checchi, 2020. "Epidemiological Aspects and Psychological Reactions to COVID-19 of Dental Practitioners in the Northern Italy Districts of Modena and Reggio Emilia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:10:p:3459-:d:358642
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/10/3459/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/10/3459/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Maayan Shacham & Yaira Hamama-Raz & Roni Kolerman & Ori Mijiritsky & Menachem Ben-Ezra & Eitan Mijiritsky, 2020. "COVID-19 Factors and Psychological Factors Associated with Elevated Psychological Distress among Dentists and Dental Hygienists in Israel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-7, April.
    2. Muhammad Adeel Ahmed & Rizwan Jouhar & Naseer Ahmed & Samira Adnan & Marziya Aftab & Muhammad Sohail Zafar & Zohaib Khurshid, 2020. "Fear and Practice Modifications among Dentists to Combat Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-11, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Luca Aquilanti & Silvia Gallegati & Valerio Temperini & Luigi Ferrante & Edlira Skrami & Maurizio Procaccini & Giorgio Rappelli, 2020. "Italian Response to Coronavirus Pandemic in Dental Care Access: The DeCADE Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-12, September.
    2. Juan Carlos De Haro & Eva María Rosel & Inmaculada Salcedo-Bellido & Ester Leno-Durán & Pilar Requena & Rocío Barrios-Rodríguez, 2022. "Psychological Impact of COVID-19 in the Setting of Dentistry: A Review Article," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-37, December.
    3. Anna Turska-Szybka & Maria Prokopczyk & Piotr Winkielman & Dorota Olczak-Kowalczyk, 2021. "Knowledge and Attitude of Polish Dental Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-17, November.
    4. Maria Sarapultseva & Alena Zolotareva & Igor Kritsky & Natal’ya Nasretdinova & Alexey Sarapultsev, 2021. "Psychological Distress and Post-Traumatic Symptomatology among Dental Healthcare Workers in Russia: Results of a Pilot Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-12, January.
    5. Antonio Javier Expósito-Delgado & Verónica Ausina-Márquez & María Victoria Mateos-Moreno & Elena Martínez-Sanz & María del Carmen Trullols-Casas & María Eulalia Llamas-Ortuño & José María Blanco-Gonzá, 2021. "Delivery of Health Care by Spanish Dental Hygienists in Private and Public Dental Services during the COVID-19 De-Escalation Phase (June 2020): A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-17, August.
    6. Roberta Gasparro & Cristiano Scandurra & Nelson Mauro Maldonato & Pasquale Dolce & Vincenzo Bochicchio & Alessandra Valletta & Gilberto Sammartino & Pasquale Sammartino & Mauro Mariniello & Alessandro, 2020. "Perceived Job Insecurity and Depressive Symptoms among Italian Dentists: The Moderating Role of Fear of COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-12, July.
    7. Cristine Maria Warmling & Rubens Spin-Neto & Luciana Zambillo Palma & Manoelito Ferreira Silva-Junior & Renata Goulart Castro & Mirelle Finkler & Márcia Helena Baldani & Fernando Valentim Bitencourt, 2023. "Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Oral Health Workforce: A Multicenter Study from the Southern Region of Brazil," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-12, January.
    8. Saba Wajeeh & Abhishek Lal & Naseer Ahmed & Md. Ibrahim Khalil & Afsheen Maqsood & Akram Mojidea M Alshammari & Abdulelah Zaid Alshammari & Meshari Musallam Mohammed Alsharari & Abdulelah Hamdan Alrus, 2021. "Operational Implications and Risk Assessment of COVID-19 in Dental Practices," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-13, November.
    9. Mohamed Mekhemar & Sameh Attia & Christof Dörfer & Jonas Conrad, 2021. "Dental Nurses’ Mental Health in Germany: A Nationwide Survey during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-18, July.
    10. Bram P. I. Fleuren & Lieze T. Poesen & Rachel E. Gifford & Fred R. H. Zijlstra & Dirk Ruwaard & Frank C. van de Baan & Daan D. Westra, 2021. "We’re Not Gonna Fall: Depressive Complaints, Personal Resilience, Team Social Climate, and Worries about Infections among Hospital Workers during a Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-14, April.
    11. Maria Eleonora Bizzoca & Giuseppina Campisi & Lorenzo Lo Muzio, 2020. "Covid-19 Pandemic: What Changes for Dentists and Oral Medicine Experts? A Narrative Review and Novel Approaches to Infection Containment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-30, May.
    12. Andreea Kui & Codruța Popescu & Anca Labuneț & Oana Almășan & Adrian Petruțiu & Mariana Păcurar & Smaranda Buduru, 2022. "Is Teledentistry a Method for Optimizing Dental Practice, Even in the Post-Pandemic Period? An Integrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-13, June.
    13. Federico Alcide Villani & Riccardo Aiuto & Luigi Paglia & Dino Re, 2020. "COVID-19 and Dentistry: Prevention in Dental Practice, a Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-12, June.
    14. Carlos Ariel Rodrigues de Araujo & Danielle Viana Ribeiro & Danielle Boina de Oliveira & Wander Barbieri & Gabriela Silva de Castilho & Manuel Jimenez & Tamara Kerber Tedesco & Maisa Camillo Jordão & , 2022. "Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dentists in Latin America’s Epicenter: São Paulo, Brazil," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-10, November.
    15. Monika Tysiąc-Miśta & Arkadiusz Dziedzic, 2020. "The Attitudes and Professional Approaches of Dental Practitioners during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-17, June.
    16. Rogério Bertevello & Ida Regina Tomaz Carvalho da Silva Capela & Marcelo Salmazo Castro & Ana Virgínia Santana Sampaio Castilho & Ana Carolina da Silva Pinto & Gabriela de Figueiredo Meira & Silvia He, 2022. "Assessment of Psychosocial Factors in Brazilian Dentists Facing Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Public and Private Sectors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-9, August.
    17. Fatih Karayürek & Ahmet Taylan Çebi & Aydın Gülses & Mustafa Ayna, 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination on Anxiety Levels of Turkish Dental Professionals and Their Attitude in Clinical Care: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-14, October.
    18. Cheng, Kuo-Tai & Chang, Kirk, 2022. "The efficacy of stress coping strategies in Taiwan's public utilities during the COVID-19 pandemic," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    19. Sreekanth Kumar Mallineni & Sivakumar Nuvvula & Jaya Chandra Bhumireddy & Ahmad Faisal Ismail & Priya Verma & Rishitha Sajja & Abdullah Alassaf & Basim Almulhim & Sara Alghamdi & Anupam Saha & Virinde, 2021. "Knowledge and Perceptions Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) among Pediatric Dentists during Lockdown Period," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-13, December.
    20. Jacobo Limeres Posse & Maria T. van Harten & Caoimhin Mac Giolla Phadraig & Márcio Diniz Freitas & Denise Faulks & Alison Dougall & Blánaid Daly & Pedro Diz Dios, 2021. "The Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Providing Special Care Dentistry: A Survey for Dentists," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-12, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:10:p:3459-:d:358642. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.