Psychological Implications of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Dental Students and Dentists

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the psychological impact of 91 students and 89 dentists during the Covid-19 pandemic through an anonymous online questionnaire. Statistical processing was done in SPSS 26.0. The psychological impact on dental students and dentists due to the Covid-19 pandemic was moderate;negative sensations of insecurity, stress, nervousness and feelings of sadness were moderate (scores≥3). The fear of infection with the SarS-CoV-2 virus from patients was moderate (scores≥3), but the fear of infecting close people was high (scores≥4). Concerns about their families' health problems were also increased (scores≥4). Students and dentists did not regret choosing this profession and did not lose control over their lives (scores≥1). Respondents' answers correlated statistically significantly with some independent socio-demographic variables (p≤0.05). Our study revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the psychological health of dental students and dentists, who had moderate symptoms and signs of stress and anxiety than of depression, but they knew how to control their lives despite the dangers of the Covid-19 pandemic. © 2022 IEEE.