General dentist, Private practice, Navi Mumbai, India.
Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Yerala Medical Trust's Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai, India.
Dent Med Probl. 2022 Jan-Mar;59(1):27-36. doi: 10.17219/dmp/142357.
In the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, dental professionals are at high risk of contracting the virus owing to their close proximity to patients. Using personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary to avoid being infected as well as to avoid being the source of infection. Apart from physical limitations, also communication and work efficiency are affected by the barriers created by PPE.
This study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitude and practice regarding the challenges faced by dental practitioners in India due to the use of PPE as well as to discuss the ways of overcoming these barriers by dentists.
A cross-sectional study was conducted during a period of 1 month. A Google Forms questionnaire was sent out; it included 12 questions regarding the use of PPE, changes in the diet and the work routine, the side effects of PPE, effects on communication and work efficiency, and the patients' attitude toward PPE. The obtained data was subjected to the statistical analysis with the use of the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows software, v. 26.0. For all statistical tests, p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant, keeping α error at 5% and β error at 20%, thus giving a power to the study of 80%.
A total of 390 dentists completed the questionnaire. The study revealed that 85% of the respondents agreed that wearing PPE affected their work efficiency and 89% experienced difficulty in communication. The majority of the participants experienced side effects, like profuse sweating, breathlessness, headaches, and skin irritation.
It was proven that the current use of PPE not only makes communication harder, but also elevates anxiety among patients. Dentists have adapted themselves by switching to other means of communication, such as sending instructions by means of text messages/telemedicine, as well as taking breaks between patients, switching to a healthier diet, and exercising regularly, thus helping to minimize the adverse effects of PPE.
在 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行之后，由于牙科专业人员与患者近距离接触，因此他们感染病毒的风险很高。使用个人防护设备（PPE）不仅是为了避免感染，也是为了避免成为感染源。除了身体上的限制，PPE 还会造成沟通和工作效率方面的障碍。
本研究旨在评估印度牙科医生在使用 PPE 时面临的挑战方面的知识、态度和实践，并讨论牙医克服这些障碍的方法。
进行了一项横断面研究，持续了 1 个月。通过 Google 表单发送了一份问卷，其中包括 12 个关于 PPE 使用、饮食和工作常规变化、PPE 副作用、对沟通和工作效率的影响以及患者对 PPE 的态度的问题。使用 IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows 软件，v. 26.0 对获得的数据进行了统计分析。对于所有的统计检验，p<0.05 被认为具有统计学意义，保留 5%的α误差和 20%的β误差，从而使研究的效力达到 80%。
共有 390 名牙医完成了问卷。研究表明，85%的受访者认为佩戴 PPE 会影响他们的工作效率，89%的人在沟通方面存在困难。大多数参与者都经历了副作用，如大量出汗、呼吸困难、头痛和皮肤刺激。
事实证明，目前使用 PPE 不仅使沟通变得更加困难，而且还会增加患者的焦虑感。牙医通过改用其他沟通方式，如通过短信/远程医疗发送说明，以及在患者之间休息、改为更健康的饮食和定期锻炼，来适应 PPE 的使用，从而有助于最大限度地减少 PPE 的不良影响。
