Consequences of COVid-19 in Latin American dentists in the first year of the pandemic, the period prior to vaccination campaigns
Objectives: The aim of this investigation was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dentists in Latin America during the initial year of the outbreak, specifically within the timeframe preceding vaccination campaigns. This study determined the various facets in which dentists were affecte...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024002548 |
| _version_ | 1797304648942485504 |
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| author | Juan Gabriel Costa Ana Beatriz Gaudio Nicolás Gomez Giorgi Camila Hanow |
| author_facet | Juan Gabriel Costa Ana Beatriz Gaudio Nicolás Gomez Giorgi Camila Hanow |
| author_sort | Juan Gabriel Costa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: The aim of this investigation was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dentists in Latin America during the initial year of the outbreak, specifically within the timeframe preceding vaccination campaigns. This study determined the various facets in which dentists were affected and exactly what proportion of them was harmed. Methods: A comprehensive 33 question survey was distributed across 19 Latin American countries after the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic's presence in the region. Results: There was an absence of statistically significant differences in responses among the surveyed countries in Latin America, with the exception of four questions out of the total 33. Some relevant findings of Latin American were: one in three dental professionals experienced discrimination based on their occupation. Concurrently, three out of four dentists reported initiating new activities to lessen discomfort. Notably, 8.63 % of respondents sought assistance from a psychologist or psychiatrist, while 17.71 % resorted to the consumption of psychoactive substances within the first year of the pandemic.Furthermore, 7.28 % of the professionals indicated that they still had not obtained all the necessary personal protective equipment for their work and 92.05 % disclosing that they personally financed these essential resources. A certain percentage of dentists stated that the quality of care decreased due to the implementation of the new safety measures (40.03 %) or due to their own feelings during patient interactions (23.11 %). Lastly, 38.85 % of dentists contemplated leaving the profession. Conclusions: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dentists was decidedly adverse, manifesting both in personal and professional fields, despite the diverse measures undertaken by these professionals to mitigate its effects. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:12:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cb878e884dd4461c870cefd41d4e4485 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:12:28Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-cb878e884dd4461c870cefd41d4e44852024-02-17T06:38:04ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402024-02-01103e24223Consequences of COVid-19 in Latin American dentists in the first year of the pandemic, the period prior to vaccination campaignsJuan Gabriel Costa0Ana Beatriz Gaudio1Nicolás Gomez Giorgi2Camila Hanow3Corresponding author.; Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Odontología, Instituto Universitario Italiano de Rosario (IUNIR), ArgentinaCátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Odontología, Instituto Universitario Italiano de Rosario (IUNIR), ArgentinaCátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Odontología, Instituto Universitario Italiano de Rosario (IUNIR), ArgentinaCátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Odontología, Instituto Universitario Italiano de Rosario (IUNIR), ArgentinaObjectives: The aim of this investigation was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dentists in Latin America during the initial year of the outbreak, specifically within the timeframe preceding vaccination campaigns. This study determined the various facets in which dentists were affected and exactly what proportion of them was harmed. Methods: A comprehensive 33 question survey was distributed across 19 Latin American countries after the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic's presence in the region. Results: There was an absence of statistically significant differences in responses among the surveyed countries in Latin America, with the exception of four questions out of the total 33. Some relevant findings of Latin American were: one in three dental professionals experienced discrimination based on their occupation. Concurrently, three out of four dentists reported initiating new activities to lessen discomfort. Notably, 8.63 % of respondents sought assistance from a psychologist or psychiatrist, while 17.71 % resorted to the consumption of psychoactive substances within the first year of the pandemic.Furthermore, 7.28 % of the professionals indicated that they still had not obtained all the necessary personal protective equipment for their work and 92.05 % disclosing that they personally financed these essential resources. A certain percentage of dentists stated that the quality of care decreased due to the implementation of the new safety measures (40.03 %) or due to their own feelings during patient interactions (23.11 %). Lastly, 38.85 % of dentists contemplated leaving the profession. Conclusions: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dentists was decidedly adverse, manifesting both in personal and professional fields, despite the diverse measures undertaken by these professionals to mitigate its effects.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024002548COVid-19Latin AmericaDentistPandemicSurvey |
| spellingShingle | Juan Gabriel Costa Ana Beatriz Gaudio Nicolás Gomez Giorgi Camila Hanow Consequences of COVid-19 in Latin American dentists in the first year of the pandemic, the period prior to vaccination campaigns Heliyon COVid-19 Latin America Dentist Pandemic Survey |
| title | Consequences of COVid-19 in Latin American dentists in the first year of the pandemic, the period prior to vaccination campaigns |
| title_full | Consequences of COVid-19 in Latin American dentists in the first year of the pandemic, the period prior to vaccination campaigns |
| title_fullStr | Consequences of COVid-19 in Latin American dentists in the first year of the pandemic, the period prior to vaccination campaigns |
| title_full_unstemmed | Consequences of COVid-19 in Latin American dentists in the first year of the pandemic, the period prior to vaccination campaigns |
| title_short | Consequences of COVid-19 in Latin American dentists in the first year of the pandemic, the period prior to vaccination campaigns |
| title_sort | consequences of covid 19 in latin american dentists in the first year of the pandemic the period prior to vaccination campaigns |
| topic | COVid-19 Latin America Dentist Pandemic Survey |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024002548 |
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