IADR Abstract Archives
Perceptions of How COVID-19 Will Affect Future Fluoride Hesitancy Behaviors
Objectives: Fluoride hesitancy is a growing problem in dentistry that may get worse because of post-COVID-19-related changes in the way patients make decisions about preventive care. The goal of this study was to evaluate dentists’ perceptions of how COVID-19 will affect hesitancy behaviors of patients regarding topical fluoride in the future.
Methods: We administered a survey to dental residents at NYU Langone Health (N=226) in April 2020. The survey included four questions on the participant’s clinical experiences with fluoride-hesitant patients and one open-ended question on how they perceived COVID-19 would influence future patient’s behaviors about topical fluoride. The Fishers exact test was used to examine differences in residents’ perceptions of COVID-19 based on the participant’s self-reported experiences with fluoride-hesitant patients.
Results: Of the 226 residents in the program, 212 (89.1%) completed the survey. Forty percent of residents believed fluoride hesitancy was not a problem in their practice and 5.7% believed it was a big problem. Almost 30% of residents responded that fluoride hesitancy had gotten worse over the years. Only one-in-four residents reported being extremely comfortable talking to hesitant patients about reconsidering their decision. Residents’ perceptions did not differ based on their experiences with fluoride-hesitant patients (P>0.05).
Conclusions: Participating residents did not perceive that COVID-19 would influence patient’s decision making about topical fluoride. This study is an important step in understanding how current events can influence dental practice by potentially changing the way patients make decisions about preventive treatment.
Methods: We administered a survey to dental residents at NYU Langone Health (N=226) in April 2020. The survey included four questions on the participant’s clinical experiences with fluoride-hesitant patients and one open-ended question on how they perceived COVID-19 would influence future patient’s behaviors about topical fluoride. The Fishers exact test was used to examine differences in residents’ perceptions of COVID-19 based on the participant’s self-reported experiences with fluoride-hesitant patients.
Results: Of the 226 residents in the program, 212 (89.1%) completed the survey. Forty percent of residents believed fluoride hesitancy was not a problem in their practice and 5.7% believed it was a big problem. Almost 30% of residents responded that fluoride hesitancy had gotten worse over the years. Only one-in-four residents reported being extremely comfortable talking to hesitant patients about reconsidering their decision. Residents’ perceptions did not differ based on their experiences with fluoride-hesitant patients (P>0.05).
Conclusions: Participating residents did not perceive that COVID-19 would influence patient’s decision making about topical fluoride. This study is an important step in understanding how current events can influence dental practice by potentially changing the way patients make decisions about preventive treatment.