ABSTRACT
Featured ApplicationThe present cross-sectional analysis aimed to evaluate the level of interest in oral and dental needs and teledentistry applications among the elderly, as well as whether COVID-19 pandemic outbreaks were influenced by real-time surveillance, using Google Trends. As the number of elderly dental patients continues to increase, there is a growing need for specific interventions that address the biological and psychological issues of this population. Teledentistry represents a healthcare delivery system that can overcome these problems, although the oral and dental care provision methods involved are still unknown to most people. Indeed, there is a need to raise awareness of the indications for teledentistry, the available interventions, and the potential benefits for the oral and dental care of elderly patients.Considering the increasing need for oral and dental care in the elderly, teledentistry has been proposed to improve the education of elderly patients in oral health maintenance and risk factor control, identify patients' concerns in advance, facilitate monitoring, and save time and money. The present cross-sectional analysis of Google search data through real-time surveillance with Google Trends aimed to determine Google users' interest in oral and dental needs and teledentistry applications in the elderly, and to compare search volumes before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Extracted CVS data were qualitatively analyzed. Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were performed between searches for "elderly” and "teledentistry”, and all the oral and dental needs and teledentistry applications. The Mann–Whitney U test compared search volumes in the 36 months before and after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Google users' interest in the elderly and related oral and dental needs was diffusely medium–high, while teledentistry and its applications were of lower interest. Interest in teledentistry and its applications was strongly related to interest in the older population, which is consistent with the assumption that older adults represent the population segment that could benefit most from these tools. A positive correlation was also found between searches for "Elderly” and searches for almost all oral and dental needs typical of the geriatric population. Search volumes increased significantly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. More information about teledentistry should be disseminated to increase knowledge and awareness, especially among older patients, about its indications, applications, and advantages.
ABSTRACT
In March 2020, Italy was the first European country to be hit severely by the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to put in place moderate-high containment measures. 594 Italian expatriates participated in a cross-sectional mixed-methods survey focusing on the period that goes from the beginning of March 2020 to the beginning of April 2020. The survey aimed to describe the experiences of participants when it comes to conflicting beliefs and behavior with the Italian or host country communities in relation to COVID-19, using the Intragroup Cognitive Dissonance (ICD) framework. We explored: (1) COVID-19 risk perception (assessed for themselves, the Italian community, and the host country community);(2) COVID-19 risk meta-perception (participants’ perception of the Italian and host country communities’ risk perception);(3) intensity of emotions (assessed for themselves);(4) national group identification (assessed for themselves in relation to the Italian and host country communities) before and after the first wave of COVID-19 in Italy. An inductive thematic analysis of three open-ended questions allowed an in-depth understanding of the experiences of Italian expatriates. Results describe the ICD of participants with the Italian or host country communities, expressed as a difference between COVID-19 risk-perception and risk meta-perception. ICD predicts that when a dissonance of beliefs and behavior is experienced within an individual’s group, a shift in identification with another more consonant group will happen, if identity enhancing strategies with the dissonant group are unsuccessful. Our findings showed that when the ICD was experienced with the host country community, this was solved through a disidentification strategy and mediated by negative emotions. Identity enhancing strategies with the host country community were unsuccessfully enacted as described by the qualitative answers of participants referring to episodes of racism, ridicule, and to a Cassandra experience: predicting a catastrophic future without being believed. Unexpectedly, participants experiencing the ICD with the Italian community did not enact a disidentification strategy. An increase in virtual contacts, enhanced sense of belonging, a stronger identification baseline, and different features of the two ICDs can be responsible for these results. This study sheds light on the relevance of ICD in natural settings and on international communities, during global crises.