IADR Abstract Archives
Oral Health Services During COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand
Objectives: To explore the oral healthcare providers’ responses to the COVID-19 situation between the different stages of the pandemic in Thailand.
Methods: An online questionnaire comprised questions about behavior, and feelings during the pandemic, especially on the level of concern and infection control practices in dental clinics regarding the strict confinement period of the COVID-19 pandemic and the eased restriction period in Thailand was distributed to to oral healthcare prctitioners. Descriptive analysis, McNemar test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were performed at α=0.05.
Results: A total of 406 oral healthcare practitioners answered the survey: 382 dentists and 24 dental nurses from Bangkok and 4 regions of Thailand contributed to this study. During the strict confinement period, 78% of participants did not perform non-emergency dental procedures, compared to 10.3 % during the eased restriction period. For both stages of the pandemic, the majority of oral healthcare practitioners reported that they followed the COVID-19 infection control strategies including performing strict triage of patients protocol, using personal protective equipment (face shield, mask N95, glove, gown, eye protection, etc.), addressing airborne transmission precaution (high power suction, rubber dam use, the proper ventilation system in the clinic, etc.) and providing the environmental disinfection. However, the proportion of the oral healthcare practitioners who always perform these strategies was significantly different between the eased-strict and strict situations. Moreover, a significantly higher proportion of the oral healthcare practitioners reported anxiety concerning the risk of infection from their works and were stressed with the pandemic during the strict confinement period.
Conclusions: Overall, the oral healthcare services in Thailand were well managed in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provided essential information that will be useful. Additional training and protocol for dental practitioners may be needed to maintain the standard procedure of infection control as a universal precaution.
Methods: An online questionnaire comprised questions about behavior, and feelings during the pandemic, especially on the level of concern and infection control practices in dental clinics regarding the strict confinement period of the COVID-19 pandemic and the eased restriction period in Thailand was distributed to to oral healthcare prctitioners. Descriptive analysis, McNemar test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were performed at α=0.05.
Results: A total of 406 oral healthcare practitioners answered the survey: 382 dentists and 24 dental nurses from Bangkok and 4 regions of Thailand contributed to this study. During the strict confinement period, 78% of participants did not perform non-emergency dental procedures, compared to 10.3 % during the eased restriction period. For both stages of the pandemic, the majority of oral healthcare practitioners reported that they followed the COVID-19 infection control strategies including performing strict triage of patients protocol, using personal protective equipment (face shield, mask N95, glove, gown, eye protection, etc.), addressing airborne transmission precaution (high power suction, rubber dam use, the proper ventilation system in the clinic, etc.) and providing the environmental disinfection. However, the proportion of the oral healthcare practitioners who always perform these strategies was significantly different between the eased-strict and strict situations. Moreover, a significantly higher proportion of the oral healthcare practitioners reported anxiety concerning the risk of infection from their works and were stressed with the pandemic during the strict confinement period.
Conclusions: Overall, the oral healthcare services in Thailand were well managed in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provided essential information that will be useful. Additional training and protocol for dental practitioners may be needed to maintain the standard procedure of infection control as a universal precaution.