Actitud del odontopediatra en la clínica dental ante la pandemia del Covid-19

  1. Mª Fe Riolobos González
  2. Anabella Reyes Ortiz
  3. Lourdes García- Navas Fernández de la Puebla
  4. Leticia Chico Hernández
Journal:
Científica dental: Revista científica de formación continuada

ISSN: 1697-6398 1697-641X

Year of publication: 2020

Volume: 17

Issue: 2

Pages: 19-26

Type: Article

More publications in: Científica dental: Revista científica de formación continuada

Abstract

Introduction: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been caused by appearance of a new virus called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); and has become one of the greatest challenges for health professionals. The oral health sector is one of the populations at risk, so special care must be taken to minimise the risk of infection and prevent contagion between professionals and patients. The respiratory symptoms of this disease in children appear to be milder than those experienced by adults. Children are known to transmit the disease, but emerging data on the spread in children affected by COVID-19 is not yet known in detail. The purpose of this article is to analyse whether paediatric dentists foresee changes in their usual way of working to minimise the risk of COVID-19 infection during treatment of their patients through conducting an online survey. Material and method: An online survey was conducted of paediatric dentists and dentists working with children, with questions about their knowledge of and attitude towards COVID-19 in the dental clinic. The variables of sex, age, years of profession and having a paeditric dentistry qualification were recorded. Results: 93 questionnaires were collected, the results for each item on the questionnaire were represented graphically with the percentage response and analysed statistically. Most of the respondents were women, mean age 34.5 years, who used rotary instruments daily, but were in favour of minimally invasive treatments; they usually complied with the protective measures, but sometimes this was not possible when managing child behaviour. Conclusions: In general, paediatric dentists are adapting to the new situation with children regarding treatment techniques and with other dental team members, as they have the professional responsibility to keep themselves informed and updated regarding new information about COVID-19; not only to protect themselves from possible infection but also to prevent spreading the infection to children undergoing dental treatment.