The Attitudes of Dentists towards Patient Care during COVID-19 Endemic: A Study in Indonesia

Background Dentists are susceptible to COVID-19 transmission during patient care. Therefore, health protocols were recommended for dental practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic restrictions have been lifted, yet the awareness of COVID-19 transmission in dental care is still necessary. However, it remains unclear whether or not the health protocol is still implemented by dentists. Objectives The present study aimed to assess the attitudes of dentists towards patient care after COVID-19 became pandemic. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 302 general dentists and dental specialists in Indonesia. Data were collected using an online questionnaire through Google Forms. The questionnaire was reviewed by clinical experts. It consists of 15 statements assessing the attitudes of dentists towards patient care, along with descriptive statistics, followed by the Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis H test, Post hoc Dwass, Steel, Critchlow, and Fligner analysis when significant differences were observed in the bivariate analysis. Results Female dentists were more likely to show a positive attitude towards COVID-19 patients’ screening in clinical practice (p = 0.008). Different attitudes were also observed regarding the use of a negative-pressure room to prevent potentially contaminated air from entering the room and flowing outside (p = 0.012). Dental attitude in terms of COVID includes a) COVID-19 screening using rapid antigen test, especially for patients with COVID-19-like symptoms, b) the operator wearing PPE and washing hands properly according to the WHO’s six steps, and c) using negative pressure room since it is the best dental practice room type to prevent air contamination differed by geographical area (p = 0.001, p = 0.001, and p = 0.009) respectively. Conclusion A difference in the attitudes of dentists towards patient care was observed. The differences included COVID-19 patient screening before dental procedures, the use of negative-pressure rooms, and the implementation of dentists’ health protocol and personal protective equipment.