Tratamento Endodôntico durante a pandemia de COVID-19: percepção e comportamento dos profissionais da Odontologia

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has emerged as the largest pandemic experienced worldwide and has already affected several countries, including Brazil. Dental care environments present a high risk of infection due to the specificity of their procedures. However, in any case, dentists cannot fail to offer their services to the population so that they do not overburden hospitals in cases of urgency and emergency. Consequently, these professionals must be prepared to perform their procedures safely during this turbulent period. However, in addition to the need for care to protect yourself and your patients, the dentist also faces the economic consequences of the pandemic. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the routine of endodontic treatment of the Brazilian dentist, including possible changes in the technique and / or means of prevention, in the flow of patients in the office, in the costs of treatment and in the values charged to patients. This cross-sectional study was carried out from May 2, 2020 to May 6, 2020, using an online questionnaire with a convenience sample for data collection. As an inclusion criterion, respondents should be dental surgeons who usually perform endodontic treatment in clinical practice. For the first study, 1105 questionnaires were considered, which contained questions regarding practical changes during endodontic treatment to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 and protect professionals and patients. More than 90% of respondents identify the high risk of COVID-19 infection for dentists and admit the need to change some practices in endodontic treatment. The need to change Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during dental appointments was mentioned by 97.1% of respondents. Most respondents will change the preparation for accessing the cavity, reducing the risk of spreading the virus. For the second study, 1042 questionnaires were considered, as professionals who work only in the private service were taken into account. A total of 1,010 (96.9%) interviewees affirm that it was necessary to modify the protective equipment in endodontic treatment due to the pandemic and a longer interval between consultations was mentioned by 922 (88.5%), affecting dental practice economically. In conclusion, most dental professionals recognized changes in the routine of endodontic treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a reduction in the volume of patients, with a consequent economic impact. Endodontists still need to distinguish the best way to perform their procedures safely and specific guidelines require detailed information for each specialty and its procedures.