COVID-19 vaccination experience among United States dental professionals and students: Safety, confidence, concerns, and side effects.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the COVID-19 vaccination experience among United States-based dental professionals and students: to understand their beliefs, concerns, safety and confidence levels, and side effects experienced after vaccination; striving to boost vaccination acceptability to curtail the pandemic. METHODS: An observational survey study approved by The University of Texas Health San Antonio Institutional Review Board was distributed to members of the School of Dentistry community using Qualtrics XM software. The survey was completed anonymously. Data were analyzed using R statistical computing software, χ2 test and Fisher's Exact test. RESULTS: Over 80% of all participants felt moderately to very safe working after the COVID-19 vaccine was made available, and more than 75% were moderately to very confident that the vaccine can protect them during the pandemic. At least 35% were moderately to very concerned about immediate and long-term side effects of the vaccine; despite the concerns, 94% received the vaccine. Side effects were more common after the second dose of the vaccine. Most common side effects were injection site pain, and general side effects of fatigue/tiredness, headache, muscle/body ache, and chills/fever. 74% reported no effect of the vaccine on daily activities, and the severity of side effects no worse than mild (about 60%). CONCLUSIONS: Majority of the participants felt safe and confident that the vaccine would protect them against COVID-19 infection. Sharing these findings and reliable information that the vaccine is safe and effective is paramount to fostering the vaccine uptake and curtailing the pandemic. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Findings of this study demonstrated the confidence of the UT Health San Antonio, School of Dentistry community that the benefits of the vaccines greatly outweigh the risks; boosting the vaccination acceptance while creating a COVID-19 free environment both for the academic dental setting and the community it serves.

Multifaceted impact of COVID-19 on dental practice: American dental care professionals prepared and ready during unprecedented challenges.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the multifaceted impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental practices and their readiness to resume dental practice during arduous circumstances. METHODS: The authors distributed an observational survey study approved by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Institutional Review Board to dental care practitioners and their office staff members using Qualtrics XM software. The survey was completed anonymously. The authors analyzed the data using R statistical computing software, χ2 test, and Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS: Nearly all participants (98%) felt prepared to resume dental practice and were confident of the safety precautions (96%). Only 21% of dentists felt the COVID-19 pandemic changed their dental treatment protocols, with at least two-thirds agreeing that precautions would influence their efficiency adversely. Although most participants were satisfied with the resources their dental practice provided for support during the pandemic (95%), most were concerned about the impact on their general health and safety (77%) and to their dental practice (90%), found working during the pandemic difficult (≈ 60%), and agreed there are challenges and long-term impacts on the dental profession (> 75%). CONCLUSIONS: Dental care professionals, although affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and at high risk of developing COVID-19, were prepared to resume dental practice during most challenging circumstances. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The pandemic has affected dental care practitioners substantially; thus, there is need to formulate psychological interventions and safety precautions to mitigate its impact. Further research should evaluate the long-term effects on dentistry and oral health and interceptive measures for better communication and programming around future challenges.