Oral Health Research and Promotion Unit, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine.
Oral Health Unit, Ministry of Health, Palestinian Authority, Ramallah, Palestine.
Int Dent J. 2022 Feb;72(1):83-92. doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2021.01.017. Epub 2021 Feb 13.
This study reports on the readiness of Palestinian dentists to reopen their practices for routine care during the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
A cross-sectional study targeted dentists in the West Bank area of Palestine using an online survey during the first 2 weeks of May 2020. Questions mainly asked about dentists' perception of the risks of COVID-19, readiness to reopen their clinics for routine care, and the level of confidence in dealing with patients suspected of having COVID-19.
A total of 488 dentists completed the survey. Almost 60% believed that they were not ready to reopen their practices. Almost 13% had "no confidence" in dealing with patients with COVID-19, while 64% had "little to moderate" confidence. Confidence was correlated negatively with increased fear of becoming infected (ρ = -0.317, P < .0001) and positively with years of practice (ρ = 1.7, P < .0001). Dentists who received updated training on infection control or on COVID-19 reported higher levels of confidence (χ = 53.8, P < .0001, χ = 26.8, P < .0001, respectively). Although 88% preferred not to treat patients with COVID-19, 40% were willing to provide care to them. Almost 75% reported that they were already facing financial hardships and could not survive financially until the end of the current month.
Ethical and financial reasons were the main drivers for dentists in this sample to reopen their practices for routine care. Data from this study highlights the fragility of private dental practice in emergency situations. Ethical, health, and financial challenges that emerged during COVID-19 require dentists to adapt and be better prepared to face future crises.
本研究报告了巴勒斯坦牙医在当前 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间准备重新开展常规护理的情况。
本横断面研究针对的是巴勒斯坦西岸地区的牙医，于 2020 年 5 月的前两周使用在线调查进行。问题主要询问了牙医对 COVID-19 风险的看法、为常规护理重新开放诊所的准备情况，以及处理疑似 COVID-19 患者的信心水平。
共有 488 名牙医完成了调查。近 60%的牙医认为他们还没有准备好重新开业。近 13%的牙医“没有信心”处理 COVID-19 患者，而 64%的牙医“信心有限”。信心与对感染的恐惧呈负相关（ρ=−0.317，P<0.0001），与实践年限呈正相关（ρ=1.7，P<0.0001）。接受感染控制或 COVID-19 更新培训的牙医报告的信心水平更高（χ²=53.8，P<0.0001，χ²=26.8，P<0.0001）。尽管 88%的牙医首选不治疗 COVID-19 患者，但仍有 40%的牙医愿意为其提供治疗。近 75%的牙医报告称他们已经面临财务困难，无法在本月底前维持生计。
伦理和财务原因是本研究样本中的牙医重新开展常规护理的主要驱动因素。本研究的数据突显了在紧急情况下私人牙科实践的脆弱性。COVID-19 期间出现的伦理、健康和财务挑战要求牙医进行调整，并为应对未来的危机做好更好的准备。
