biostudies-literatureCOVIDental Collaboration GroupNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR)103749https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8285212biostudies-literatureUnknown114<h4>Objectives</h4>A multicentre survey was designed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on dental practice worldwide, estimate the COVID-19 related symptoms/signs, work attitudes and behaviour and the routine use of protective measures and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).<h4>Methods</h4>A global survey using a standardized questionnaire with research groups from 36 countries was designed. The questionnaire was developed and pretested during April 2020 and contained three domains: 1) Personal data; 2) COVID-19 positive rate and symptoms/signs presumably related to the coronavirus; 3) Working conditions and PPE adopted after the outbreak. Countries' data were grouped by the Country Positive Rate (CPR) during the survey period and by Gross-National-Income per capita. An ordinal multinomial logistic regression model was carried out with COVID-19 self-reported rate referred by dental professionals as dependent variable to assess the association with questionnaire items.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 52,491 questionnaires were returned with a male/female ratio of 0.63. Out of the total respondents, 7,859 dental professionals (15%) reported symptoms/signs compatible with COVID-19. More than half of the sample (n = 27,818; 53%) stated to use FFP2/N95 masks, while 21,558 (41.07%) used eye protection. In the bivariate analysis, CPR and N95/FFP2 were significantly associated (OR = 1.80 _95%CI = 1.60/2.82 and OR = 5.20 _95%CI = 1.44/18.80, respectively), while Gross-National-Income was not statistically associated with CPR (OR = 1.09 _95%CI = 0.97/1.60). The same significant associations were observed in the multivariate analysis.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Oral health service provision has not been significantly affected by COVID-19, although access to routine dental care was reduced due to country-specific temporary lockdown periods. While the dental profession has been identified at high-risk, the reported rates of COVID-19 for dental professionals were not significantly different to those reported for the general population in each country. These findings may help to better plan oral health care for future pandemic events.Journal of dentistryThe COVID-19 pandemic and its global effects on dental practice. An International survey.PMC8285212CL-2017-02-007Douglas GFernandez CEJohn JCairoli JLde Carvalho Oliveira RMendes FMZeyer OCarvalho TSMafeni JOQuintana AGSabashvili MKrithikadatta JAmadori FOwen JSenna AZukanovic ACagetti MGMachado MAMLeon SCorrea MBLew HPSpagnuolo GCocco FZeng OTaiwo OOAguirre GVisaria AWolf TGRaggio DPAguirre KFontana MMartinez EPJalal ASarmiento RVBourgeois DAntia KManton DJTietler PUzcategui YRBirch SSlabsinskiene ECarvalho JCSquassi AFCarrouel FSchrader HOjukwu BTGambetta-Tessini KLevin KABairstow RRamos-Gomez FBen-Tanfous SXhajanka EAlmerich-Torres TDiaz Betancourt MBarbosa-Liz DMGigineishvili EGiacaman RAMorozova NSDenkovski MGugnani NGray JShi Bvan der Veen MHPlaza-Ruiz SPBonta GBottenberg PEscobar WYMandic-Rajcevic SViktorovna Dudnik OOpdam NPassaro ABajric EDeclerck DVlahovic ZBruers JJPeric TBustillos LGhorbe MHysenaj NCrombie FEl Fadl RACortes-Acha BPericchi AFAl Maghlouth SAElwishahy AVolgenant CMani SABuhrens PCartagena FRPhilippides VCOVIDental Collaboration GroupBhusari SBraga MMTedesco TKBieber HSerban SMontiel-Company JMMarouane OVukovic ACsikar JIMusa SMachiulskiene VMendez CFCai JMarkovic DMaroufidis NMalerba AOttolenghi LAlfonso IPesaressi-Torres ESim CGhaffar HAPersoon IFSava-Rosianu RYan QDopico-San Martin JAgudelo-Suarez AADeschner JCampus GHopcraft MHaider ANor NAMAcevedo AMKaps-Richter GThodhorjani ANecibi ACortes-Martinicorena FJMamedo AASanchez GSCarrer FMacLennan ABHuttmann JJikia MfalseThe COVID-19 pandemic and its global effects on dental practice. An International survey.<h4>Objectives</h4>A multicentre survey was designed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on dental practice worldwide, estimate the COVID-19 related symptoms/signs, work attitudes and behaviour and the routine use of protective measures and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).<h4>Methods</h4>A global survey using a standardized questionnaire with research groups from 36 countries was designed. The questionnaire was developed and pretested during April 2020 and contained three domains: 1) Personal data; 2) COVID-19 positive rate and symptoms/signs presumably related to the coronavirus; 3) Working conditions and PPE adopted after the outbreak. Countries' data were grouped by the Country Positive Rate (CPR) during the survey period and by Gross-National-Income per capita. An ordinal multinomial logistic regression model was carried out with COVID-19 self-reported rate referred by dental professionals as dependent variable to assess the association with questionnaire items.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 52,491 questionnaires were returned with a male/female ratio of 0.63. Out of the total respondents, 7,859 dental professionals (15%) reported symptoms/signs compatible with COVID-19. More than half of the sample (n = 27,818; 53%) stated to use FFP2/N95 masks, while 21,558 (41.07%) used eye protection. In the bivariate analysis, CPR and N95/FFP2 were significantly associated (OR = 1.80 _95%CI = 1.60/2.82 and OR = 5.20 _95%CI = 1.44/18.80, respectively), while Gross-National-Income was not statistically associated with CPR (OR = 1.09 _95%CI = 0.97/1.60). The same significant associations were observed in the multivariate analysis.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Oral health service provision has not been significantly affected by COVID-19, although access to routine dental care was reduced due to country-specific temporary lockdown periods. While the dental profession has been identified at high-risk, the reported rates of COVID-19 for dental professionals were not significantly different to those reported for the general population in each country. These findings may help to better plan oral health care for future pandemic events.2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021 Nov2024-11-06T00:03:34.186Z2024-11-06T00:03:34.186ZS-EPMC82852123428049810.1016/j.jdent.2021.103749