Infection Concerns and Economic Burden: Dentists' Cancellations During COVID-19
Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, dental appointments were cancelled or postponed by both patients and dentists. This study investigated the associations between German dentists’ concerns on cross infection and their emotional burden due to personal economic impact on dentist-initiated appoi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | International Dental Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653923006251 |
| _version_ | 1797243054770356224 |
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| author | Morena Santamaria Arno Stöcker Jan Hoffmann Laura Mause Tim Ohnhäuser Nadine Scholten |
| author_facet | Morena Santamaria Arno Stöcker Jan Hoffmann Laura Mause Tim Ohnhäuser Nadine Scholten |
| author_sort | Morena Santamaria |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, dental appointments were cancelled or postponed by both patients and dentists. This study investigated the associations between German dentists’ concerns on cross infection and their emotional burden due to personal economic impact on dentist-initiated appointment cancellations. Methods: Data were collected using an anonymous cross-sectional online survey of outpatient physicians in Germany from March through April 2020. Dental treatments were divided into 3 treatment categories (plannable treatments, acute treatments without COVID-19–like symptoms, and acute treatments with COVID-19–like symptoms). Descriptive analyses and multivariate logistic regression models were performed. Results: A sample of 269 self-employed dentists was considered. Cancellations of prophylaxis appointments were reported by 82% of dentists, whilst 49% reported cancellations of appointments for acute complaints with simultaneous patient-side COVID-19–like symptoms. Further, 58% of respondents stated high or very high concerns about COVID-19 self-infection; 81% stated to be emotionally burdened by the personal economic impact. Dentists’ concern of infecting themselves significantly decreased the likelihood of maintaining appointments, with odds ratios of 0.635 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.426 to 0.932) for plannable treatments and 0.587 (95% CI, 0.367 to 0.916) for treatments of patients with acute complaints and simultaneous COVID-19–like symptoms. In addition, there was a significant negative association between dentists who reported emotional distress due to personal economic impact and the likelihood to maintain appointments, with odds ratios of 0.291 (95% CI, 0.123 to 0.695) for plannable treatments and 0.231 (95% CI, 0.053; 0.706) for treatments of patients without acute complaints and simultaneous COVID-19–like symptoms. Conclusion: Dentists’ fear of infecting themselves with COVID-19 played a role in terms of practice-related appointment cancellations. Dentists differentiated their appointment cancellations according to different treatment categories and patient needs. If dental care is to be maintained in pandemic times, physicians’ personal factors such as concerns about infection and perceived pandemic-related personal economic impact need to be considered. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:49:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dfaf757b6d2642a8bfbebe6cf69854e0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0020-6539 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:49:01Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Dental Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-dfaf757b6d2642a8bfbebe6cf69854e02024-03-27T04:51:06ZengElsevierInternational Dental Journal0020-65392024-04-01742276283Infection Concerns and Economic Burden: Dentists' Cancellations During COVID-19Morena Santamaria0Arno Stöcker1Jan Hoffmann2Laura Mause3Tim Ohnhäuser4Nadine Scholten5University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research, Cologne, GermanyUniversity of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences & Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Chair for Quality Development in Rehabilitation, Cologne, Germany; Corresponding author. Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Human Sciences and Faculty of Medicine at the University of Cologne, University Hospital Cologne, Eupener Str. 129, Cologne 50933, Germany.University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research, Cologne, GermanyUniversity of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research, Cologne, GermanyUniversity of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research, Cologne, GermanyUniversity of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research, Cologne, GermanyObjectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, dental appointments were cancelled or postponed by both patients and dentists. This study investigated the associations between German dentists’ concerns on cross infection and their emotional burden due to personal economic impact on dentist-initiated appointment cancellations. Methods: Data were collected using an anonymous cross-sectional online survey of outpatient physicians in Germany from March through April 2020. Dental treatments were divided into 3 treatment categories (plannable treatments, acute treatments without COVID-19–like symptoms, and acute treatments with COVID-19–like symptoms). Descriptive analyses and multivariate logistic regression models were performed. Results: A sample of 269 self-employed dentists was considered. Cancellations of prophylaxis appointments were reported by 82% of dentists, whilst 49% reported cancellations of appointments for acute complaints with simultaneous patient-side COVID-19–like symptoms. Further, 58% of respondents stated high or very high concerns about COVID-19 self-infection; 81% stated to be emotionally burdened by the personal economic impact. Dentists’ concern of infecting themselves significantly decreased the likelihood of maintaining appointments, with odds ratios of 0.635 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.426 to 0.932) for plannable treatments and 0.587 (95% CI, 0.367 to 0.916) for treatments of patients with acute complaints and simultaneous COVID-19–like symptoms. In addition, there was a significant negative association between dentists who reported emotional distress due to personal economic impact and the likelihood to maintain appointments, with odds ratios of 0.291 (95% CI, 0.123 to 0.695) for plannable treatments and 0.231 (95% CI, 0.053; 0.706) for treatments of patients without acute complaints and simultaneous COVID-19–like symptoms. Conclusion: Dentists’ fear of infecting themselves with COVID-19 played a role in terms of practice-related appointment cancellations. Dentists differentiated their appointment cancellations according to different treatment categories and patient needs. If dental care is to be maintained in pandemic times, physicians’ personal factors such as concerns about infection and perceived pandemic-related personal economic impact need to be considered.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653923006251COVID-19OutpatientDentistryFear of infectionEconomic burdenAppointment cancellations |
| spellingShingle | Morena Santamaria Arno Stöcker Jan Hoffmann Laura Mause Tim Ohnhäuser Nadine Scholten Infection Concerns and Economic Burden: Dentists' Cancellations During COVID-19 International Dental Journal COVID-19 Outpatient Dentistry Fear of infection Economic burden Appointment cancellations |
| title | Infection Concerns and Economic Burden: Dentists' Cancellations During COVID-19 |
| title_full | Infection Concerns and Economic Burden: Dentists' Cancellations During COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | Infection Concerns and Economic Burden: Dentists' Cancellations During COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Infection Concerns and Economic Burden: Dentists' Cancellations During COVID-19 |
| title_short | Infection Concerns and Economic Burden: Dentists' Cancellations During COVID-19 |
| title_sort | infection concerns and economic burden dentists cancellations during covid 19 |
| topic | COVID-19 Outpatient Dentistry Fear of infection Economic burden Appointment cancellations |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653923006251 |
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