Praditpapha Athikhun, Mattheos Nikos, Pisarnturakit Pagaporn Pantuwadee, Pimkhaokham Atiphan, Subbalekha Keskanya
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; Affiliated Research Fellow, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
Int Dent J. 2023 Oct 27;74(2):294-302. doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2023.09.006.
Although studies have revealed that dentists' mental health was initially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no reports on how this notion has evolved during the pandemic years. The aim of this study therefore was to compare Thai dentists' stress prevalence and levels due to the pandemic over a three period of the pandemic, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The associated risk and protective factors were also investigated.
A questionnaire was distributed to Thai dentists via social media, that is, Facebook pages and Line groups, from April 24 through May 5, 2020, June 10 through 30, 2021, and April 10 through July 11, 2022. The Self-Administered Stress Evaluation Form-20 (SASEF-20) was used to evaluate the dentists' stress levels.
Higher stress levels and prevalence were found in 2021 and 2022 compared with 2020. Sex, age, religion, specialty, working status, and cash flow during the pandemic were identified as stress predictors.
The extended COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased mental health deterioration. National and regional bodies overseeing dentists should be aware of vulnerable groups of dentists, such as younger dentists whose financial status might be unstable. Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy may be a useful tool to reduce stress in this situation.
尽管研究表明牙医的心理健康最初受到新冠疫情的影响，但尚无关于这一概念在疫情期间如何演变的报道。因此，本研究的目的是比较泰国牙医在2020年、2021年和2022年这三个疫情阶段因疫情导致的压力患病率和水平。还对相关的风险和保护因素进行了调查。
2020年4月24日至5月5日、2021年6月10日至30日以及2022年4月10日至7月11日期间，通过社交媒体（即Facebook页面和Line群组）向泰国牙医发放问卷。使用自我管理压力评估表-20（SASEF-20）来评估牙医的压力水平。
与2020年相比，2021年和2022年发现更高的压力水平和患病率。性别、年龄、宗教、专业、工作状态以及疫情期间的现金流被确定为压力预测因素。
新冠疫情的持续导致心理健康恶化加剧。监督牙医的国家和地区机构应意识到牙医中的弱势群体，例如财务状况可能不稳定的年轻牙医。基于互联网的认知行为疗法可能是在这种情况下减轻压力的有用工具。
