IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i22p11795-d676099.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pediatric Dentists’ Service Provisions in South-East Europe during the First Wave of COVID-19 Epidemic: Lessons Learned about Preventive Measures and Personal Protective Equipment Use

Author

Listed:
  • Ana Vuković

    (Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia)

  • Stefan Mandić-Rajčević

    (School of Public Health and Health Management, Institute of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
    Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy)

  • Ruxandra Sava-Rosianu

    (Department of Preventive, Community Dentistry and Oral Health, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania)

  • Marcela D Betancourt

    (Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Dental Clinic, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland)

  • Edit Xhajanka

    (Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine, 1005 Tirana, Albania)

  • Neada Hysenaj

    (Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine, 1005 Tirana, Albania)

  • Elmedin Bajric

    (Department for Preventive and Paediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Sarajevo University, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

  • Amila Zukanović

    (Department for Preventive and Paediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Sarajevo University, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

  • Vrassidas Philippides

    (Cyprus Dental Association, Nicosia 2414, Cyprus)

  • Marios Zosimas

    (Cyprus Dental Association, Nicosia 2414, Cyprus)

  • Maroufidis Nikolaos

    (Hellenic Dental Association, 10678 Athens, Greece)

  • Zoran Vlahović

    (Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pristina, 38220 Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbia)

  • Marijan Denkovski

    (Macedonian Dental Chamber, 1300 Kumanovo, North Macedonia)

  • Tamara Peric

    (Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia)

  • Dejan Markovic

    (Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia)

  • Guglielmo Campus

    (Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Dental Clinic, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland)

Abstract

Introduction: Having in mind the importance of providing continuous pediatric dental services during the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that children have similar viral loads to adults, the potential to spread the virus to others, and with variable clinical presentation of COVID-19 infection, this study aimed to analyze the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on pediatric dentistry service provision, risks, and preventive measures before and during dental treatment. Method: Structured and closed epidemiological cross-sectional survey involved seven Southeastern European countries. The questionnaire was developed using the modified Delphi method, pretested, and tested in North Italy during April 2020. The sample consisted of licensed dental professionals reached via national dental chambers and social media using the best strategies according to the national setting. Results: A total of 3227 dentists participated in the survey, and we included 643 specialists in this study—among them, 164 were pediatric dentists. Most pediatric dentists worked in the public sector (61.0%) and provided emergency (64.6%) and routine dental treatment (18.3%) during the outbreak. One-third of pediatric dentists were COVID-19 tested, statistically significantly more than other specialties, and 3.0% tested COVID-19 positive. In addition, significantly more pediatric dentists (13.4%) reported the presence of at least one symptom related to COVID-19 compared to other specialists (6.1%). None of the pediatric dentists reported PPE shortage. However, 26.2% of all specialists stated that they lacked clear step by step professional guidance in a national language. Similarly, in both groups, around 10% of specialists attended education on coronavirus. Conclusions: Considering that most pediatric dentists provided dental treatment during lockdown in their countries in public health centers and that they will continue to work during pandemic, our results suggest that pediatric dentists might be at higher risk of COVID-19 infection. Further research should focus on finding better ways to promote and adapt preventive, protective measures and PPE in the pediatric dental setting to be behaviorally acceptable. Moreover, additional efforts should be invested in dental education regarding COVID-19 in the mother tongue.

Suggested Citation

  • Ana Vuković & Stefan Mandić-Rajčević & Ruxandra Sava-Rosianu & Marcela D Betancourt & Edit Xhajanka & Neada Hysenaj & Elmedin Bajric & Amila Zukanović & Vrassidas Philippides & Marios Zosimas & Marouf, 2021. "Pediatric Dentists’ Service Provisions in South-East Europe during the First Wave of COVID-19 Epidemic: Lessons Learned about Preventive Measures and Personal Protective Equipment Use," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-11, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:22:p:11795-:d:676099
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/11795/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/11795/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. 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.
    2. Mihajlo Jakovljevic, 2013. "Resource allocation strategies in Southeastern European health policy," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 14(2), pages 153-159, April.
    3. Maria Grazia Cagetti & Jean Louis Cairoli & Andrea Senna & Guglielmo Campus, 2020. "COVID-19 Outbreak in North Italy: An Overview on Dentistry. A Questionnaire Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-12, May.
    4. Guglielmo Campus & Marcela Diaz-Betancourt & Maria Grazia Cagetti & Joana C. Carvalho & Thiago S. Carvalho & Javier F. Cortés-Martinicorena & James Deschner & Gail V. A. Douglas & Rodrigo A. Giacaman , 2020. "Study Protocol for an Online Questionnaire Survey on Symptoms/Signs, Protective Measures, Level of Awareness and Perception Regarding COVID-19 Outbreak among Dentists. A Global Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-8, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Latefa Ali Dardas & Malik Sallam & Amanda Woodward & Nadia Sweis & Narjes Sweis & Faleh A. Sawair, 2023. "Evaluating Research Impact Based on Semantic Scholar Highly Influential Citations, Total Citations, and Altmetric Attention Scores: The Quest for Refined Measures Remains Illusive," Publications, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, January.

    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. 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.
    2. Elmedin Bajrić & Amila Zukanović & Nina Marković & Amra Arslanagić & Amina Huseinbegović & Mediha Selimović-Dragaš & Sedin Kobašlija & Aleksandra Popovac & Dejan Marković, 2022. "COVID-19 Impact on Public Dental Healthcare in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Current Situation and Ongoing Perspectives," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-14, September.
    3. Thomas Gerhard Wolf & Leonardo de Col & Seyed Ahmad Banihashem Rad & Paolo Castiglia & Antonella Arghittu & Mina Cannavale & Guglielmo Campus, 2022. "How the COVID-19 Pandemic Affects Risk Awareness in Dentists: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-14, April.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. Joana Christina Carvalho & Dominique Declerck & Wolfgang Jacquet & Peter Bottenberg, 2021. "Dentist Related Factors Associated with Implementation of COVID-19 Protective Measures: A National Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-11, August.
    10. 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.
    11. Lina Stangvaltaite-Mouhat & Marte-Mari Uhlen & Rasa Skudutyte-Rysstad & Ewa Alicja Szyszko Hovden & Maziar Shabestari & Vibeke Elise Ansteinsson, 2020. "Dental Health Services Response to COVID-19 in Norway," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-17, August.
    12. Bruna Sinjari & Imena Rexhepi & Manlio Santilli & Gianmaria D′Addazio & Piero Chiacchiaretta & Piero Di Carlo & Sergio Caputi, 2020. "The Impact of COVID-19 Related Lockdown on Dental Practice in Central Italy—Outcomes of A Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-14, August.
    13. Thomas Gerhard Wolf & James Deschner & Harald Schrader & Peter Bührens & Gudrun Kaps-Richter & Maria Grazia Cagetti & Guglielmo Campus, 2021. "Dental Workload Reduction during First SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Lockdown in Germany: A Cross-Sectional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-10, March.
    14. Trishnika Chakraborty & Rizwana Fathima Jamal & Gopi Battineni & Kavalipurapu Venkata Teja & Carlos Miguel Marto & Gianrico Spagnuolo, 2021. "A Review of Prolonged Post-COVID-19 Symptoms and Their Implications on Dental Management," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-14, May.
    15. Mihajlo Jakovljevic & Mirjana Jovanovic & Nemanja Rancic & Benjamin Vyssoki & Natasa Djordjevic, 2014. "LAT Software Induced Savings on Medical Costs of Alcohol Addicts' Care - Results from a Matched-Pairs Case-Control Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(11), pages 1-8, November.
    16. Astrida Miceikienė & Laima Skauronė & Ričardas Krikštolaitis, 2021. "Assessment of the Financial Autonomy of Rural Municipalities," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-21, July.
    17. Mihajlo (Michael) Jakovljevic & Laura Romeu-Gordo & Mira Vukovic & Maja Krstic, 2017. "Gender-Specific Health-Seeking Behavior and Income Status among the Elderly Citizens of Serbia," Eastern European Business and Economics Journal, Eastern European Business and Economics Studies Centre, vol. 3(1), pages 67-86.
    18. 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.
    19. 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.
    20. Mario Caggiano & Alfonso Acerra & Stefano Martina & Marzio Galdi & Francesco D’Ambrosio, 2023. "Infection Control in Dental Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Is Changed?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-10, February.

    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:18:y:2021:i:22:p:11795-:d:676099. 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.