Abstract:

Background: To investigate whether there is a change in the attitudes and behaviors of Turkish dentists during their dental procedures against the COVID 19 pandemic. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey study was directed using a “Google Form” to obtain responses from dentists during February and March 2021. The survey was composed of 4 parts including: 1. demographic data (age, sex, marital status, systemic health), scope of practice (general dental practitioner versus specialist), place of practice (private versus public), and experience 2. questions about COVID-19 management in practice and clinic biosafety routine, 3. questions about measures taken in dentistry clinics against COVID-19 and 4. questions about knowledge, attitudes and concerns of dentists towards the COVID 19 pandemic. Results: A total of 556 dentists completed questionnaire. The rate of questioning the HES code, temperature measurement and wanting each patient to rinse their mouth with anti-bacterial mouthwash before treatment were higher for specialist dentists (p<0.05). Dentists working in government institutions performed only emergency treatments at a higher rate during the pandemic (p<0.001). Those with 0-10 years of professional experience were more afraid of transmitting the COVID-19 infection to their family/relatives, which they may get while examining/treating patients (p=0.005), and more afraid of being quarantined if they become infected with COVID-19 (p=0.043). Conclusion: Although the answers given by the dentists to the questions about their emotional and anxiety states mostly differ according to the institution they work for, there was no significant difference between the answers given by being a specialist or practicing dentist.

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