Anxiety among Brazilian Dentists During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
Open Dentistry Journal
; 16(1), 2022.
Article
in English
| EMBASE | ID: covidwho-1779848
ABSTRACT
Background:
Despite using biosafety protocols, dentists fear contracting COVID-19 and face economic uncertainties about their professional future caused by the pandemic.Objective:
This study aimed at determining the prevalence of anxiety and identifying factors associated with it among dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.Methods:
A cross-sectional study involving 408 Brazilian dental surgeons selected by snowball technique who filled an electronic questionnaire about sex, race, dental specialty, health habits, health-related quality of life, anxiety, and COVID-19-related aspects. Symptoms of anxiety were measured by the Beck anxiety inventory, and health-related quality of life was assessed by the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire. Poisson regression was used to obtain estimates of adjusted prevalence ratios.Results:
The prevalence rate of anxiety was found to be 27.5% and it was significantly higher among dentists who were afraid of catching COVID-19 (Prevalence Ratio=PR=2.52), and among those who reported sweating, wheezing, and increased heart rate during work (PR=3.67). Afro-American dentists were 48% more anxious than dentists belonging to the white/yellow race. The mean value of the quality of life of anxious dentists compared to non-anxious dentists was 13% lower in the physical domain, 12% lower in the psychological domain, and 7% higher in the social relationship domain.Conclusion:
The prevalence of anxiety among Brazilian dentists, in the context of economic uncertainty and social distance imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, is high and associated with the fear of contracting the disease, physical symptomatology of stress, being Afro-American, and altered quality of life in the physical, psychological, and social relationships domains.
African American; anxiety; article; Beck Anxiety Inventory; Brazil; controlled study; coronavirus disease 2019; cross-sectional study; dental surgeon; dentist; dentistry; fear; female; habit; human; job stress; male; mental health; pandemic; Poisson regression; prevalence ratio; quality of life; race; social distance; social interaction; sweating; symptomatology; tachycardia; uncertainty; wheezing; WHOQOL-100
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
EMBASE
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Brazil
Language:
English
Journal:
Open Dentistry Journal
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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