Attitudes of Medical Practitioners towards Collaboration with Dental Professionals during a Pandemic: A Past Experience and a Future alert

Main Article Content

Shamama Sheereen
Mohnish Zulfikar Manva
Namrata N Patil
Shazima Sheereen
HM Khuthija Khanam
Alaa Mohamed Mostafa Kamal
Abbasi Begum Meer Rownaq Ali

Keywords

Dentist, Medical practitioner, Pandemic, Preventive measures, COVID-19

Abstract

Aim: To determine the attitude of medical practitioners towards collaborating with dental professionals during a pandemic.
Materials and Methods: The present study is a cross sectional survey conducted among the medical practitioners of India. 2100 medical practitioners were randomly selected as study subjects. The data pertaining to their attitude toward collaboration with dental professionals were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive studies.
Results: Among the study subjects, 93% of the medical doctors said in the future if the pandemic occurs then they would feel contended if they were to be given the provision to be aided by a well-trained dental support team, 80% of them said they experienced high stress during the pandemic. When asked to specify the reason in case they have not approached the dentist during the pandemic, 89% said they did not ponder over the thought of taking help from the dentist.
Conclusion: If a pandemic occurs in the future, the contribution of the dentist can be beyond dentistry provided we adopt and execute proper measures and plan them beforehand.

Abstract 198 | PDF Downloads 185

References

1. Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020;395:497–506. Doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20) 30183-5
2. Li Q, Guan X, Wu P, et al. Early transmission dynamics in wuhan, china, of novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 2020;382:1199–207. Doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2001316
3. Chen N, Zhou M, Dong X, et al. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a descriptive study. Lancet. 2020;395:507–13. Doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30211-7
4. Chaminda Jayampath Seneviratne, Matthew Wen Jian Lau, Bee Tin Goh. The Role of Dentists in COVID-19 Is Beyond Dentistry: Voluntary Medical Engagements and Future Preparedness. Frontiers in Medicine.2020;7:1-7
5. Caruso CC. Negative impacts of shiftwork and long work hours. Rehabil Nurs.2014;39:16–25. doi: 10.1002/rnj.107
6. UN Volunteers. Volunteers for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Response.2020. http://www.unv.org/Volunteersfor-Novel-Coronavirus-COVID-19-pandemic-response.
7. Coulthard P. Dentistry and coronavirus (COVID-19) - moral decisionmaking. Br Dent J. 2020;228:503–5. doi:10.1038/s41415-020-1482-1
8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidance for Dental Settings. 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ dental-settings.html.
9. National Health Service. COVID-19 Guidance and Standard Operating Procedure.2020.https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/06/C0581-covid-19-urgentdental-care-sop-update-16-june-20-.pdf.
10. Ministry of Health Singapore. Gradual Resumption of Dental Services after COVID-19 Circuit Breaker Period. 2020.
11. ttps://www.healthprofessionals.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider11/defaultdocument-library/moh-cir-no-132_2020_21may20_dental-services-aftercb-period67b93be2bc2542d18c675325ab75f730.pdf .
12. California Dental Association. Dentists Can Register to Help With State’s COVID-19 Pandemic Response.2020. http://www. cda.org/Home/News-and-Events/Newsroom/Article-Details/dentists-canregister-to-help-with-states-covid-19-pandemic-response.
13. Pereira LJ, Pereira CV, Murata RM, et al. Biological and social aspects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) related to oral health. Braz Oral Res. 2020;34:e041. doi:10.1590/ 1807-3107bor-2020.vol34.0041
14. Bordea IR, Candrea S, Salagean T, et al. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare professionals and oral care operational services: a systemic review. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2021;14:453– 463. doi:10.2147/RMHP.S284557
15. Islam MS, Rahman KM, Sun Y,et al. Current knowledge of COVID-19 and infection prevention and control strategies in healthcare settings: a global analysis. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2020;41(10):1196–1206. doi:10.1017/ice.2020.237
16. Lai X, Wang X, Yang Q, et al. Will healthcare workers improve infection prevention and control behaviors as COVID-19 risk emerges and increases, in China? Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2020;9(1):1–9. doi:10.1186/s13756-020-00746-1
17. Chughtai AA, Seale H, Islam MS, et al. Policies on the use of respiratory protection for hospital health workers to protect from coronavirus disease (COVID-19).IntJNursStud.2020;105:103567. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103567
18. Mallineni SK, Nuvvula S, Ismail AF, Aldhuwayhi S, Shaikh SA, Deeban Y, Kumar V, Almaz ME. Influence of information source regarding COVID-19 knowledge among the undergraduate dental students during the early lockdown: a multi-national study. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2022 Dec;26(23):9030-9039. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202212_30578.
19. Mallineni SK, Nuvvula S, Bhumireddy JC, Ismail AF, Verma P, Sajja R, Alassaf A, Almulhim B, Alghamdi S, Saha A, Goyal V, Namineni S. Knowledge and Perceptions Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) among Pediatric Dentists during Lockdown Period. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Dec 25;19(1):209. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010209.
20. Song Y, Son YJ, Oh D. Methodological Issues in Questionnaire Design. J Korean Acad Nurs. 2015;45(3):323–328. doi:10.4040/ jkan.2015.45.3.323
21. Srivastava KC, Shrivastava D, Sghaireen MG, et al. Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding COVID-19 among dental health care professionals: a cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia. J Int Med Res. 2020;48(12):030006052097759. doi:10.1177/ 03000605209775931
22. Arora S, Saquib SA, Attar N, et al. Evaluation of knowledge and preparedness among indian dentists during the current COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2020;13:841–854. doi:10.2147/JMDH.S268891
23. Kamate SK, Sharma S, Thakar S, et al. Assessing knowledge, attitudes and practices of dental practitioners regarding the COVID-19 pandemic: a multinational study. Dent Med Probl. 2020;57(1):11–17. doi:10.17219/dmp/119743.
24. Nuvvula S, Mallineni SK. Remote management of dental problems in children during and post the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak: A teledentistry approach. Dent Med Probl. 2021 Apr-Jun;58(2):237-241. doi: 10.17219/dmp/133182.
25. Abaklı İnci M, Korkut E, Koç M, Tüzüner T. Retrospective evaluation of the effectiveness of teledentistry approach during COVID-19 in pediatric dentistry: A parental perspective. Digit Health. 2022 Dec 13;8:20552076221144194. doi: 10.1177/20552076221144194.
26. Shaikh SA, Aldhuwayhi S, Mallineni SK, Kumari VV, Thakare AA, Mustafa MZ. Stress perception among dental practitioners in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey. Signa Vitae. 2022. https://doi.org/10.22514/ sv.2022.042
27. Aldhuwayhi, S.; Shaikh, S.A.; Mallineni, S.K.; Varadharaju, V.K.; Thakare, A.A.; Khan, A.R.A.; Ziauddin, M.; Manva, M.Z. Occupational stress and stress busters utilized among Saudi dental practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2021, 1–21
28. Radwan HA, Alsaleem AI, Alassaf A, Almulhim B, Alghamdi SA, Mallineni SK. Modern modified aerosol box: Isolation aid for oral health care professionals during dental procedures. J Popul Ther Clin Pharmacol. 2022 Jul 16;29(3):e58-e61. doi: 10.47750/jptcp.2022.938.
29. Kumar PS, Geisinger ML, Avila-Ortiz G. Methods to mitigate infection spread from aerosol-generating dental procedures. J Periodontol. 2021 Jun;92(6):784-792. doi: 10.1002/JPER.20-0567.
30. Tonkaboni A, Amirzade-Iranaq MH, Ziaei H, Ather A. Impact of COVID-19 on Dentistry. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1318:623-636. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-63761-3_34.
31. Jamal M, Shah M, Almarzooqi SH, Aber H, Khawaja S, El Abed R, Alkhatib Z, Samaranayake LP. Overview of transnational recommendations for COVID-19 transmission control in dental care settings. Oral Dis. 2021 Apr;27 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):655-664. doi: 10.1111/odi.13431.