COVID-19 Related Health and Infection Control Practices Among Dentists

As dentists begin reopening their practices during a global pandemic, the risk of COVID-19 infection that dentists face in providing dental care remains unknown. Estimating the occupational risk of COVID-19, and producing evidence on the types of infection control practices and dental practices that may affect COVID-19 risk, is therefore imperative. The goal of the proposed study is to understand U.S.-based dentists' health and dental-practice reactions to COVID-19. To estimate this, U.S-based dentists will be surveyed monthly. These findings could be used to describe the prevalence and incidence of COVID-19 among dentists, determine what infection control steps dentists take over time, and estimate whether infection control adherence in dental practice is related to COVID-19 incidence.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: No intervention

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 2196

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
      • American Dental Association

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Dentists in the United States

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Primary dental practice is in United States
• 18 years of age or older
• Dentist

Exclusion Criteria:

•Answered "no" to ADA survey sent May 2020 that read "As part of ongoing efforts to monitor the effect of COVID-19 on the dental team, the ADA is interested in collecting data related to infection rates. Would you also be willing to participate in a separate, longitudinal study that would require you to report whether you or your staff have exhibited symptoms of COVID-19, and whether you have been tested or diagnosed? The study would be anonymous and under IRB protocols."

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
U.S. dentists; Dentists in the United States	Other: No intervention; No intervention; this is a purely observational study

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
COVID-19 probable or confirmed case	COVID-19 case as confirmed by clinician and/or detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA or a specific antigen in a clinical specimen	18 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Anxiety	Assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety (PHQ-4). Two items scored 0 to 3 (total score of 0-6), with higher numbers indicating greater anxiety.	12 months
Depression	Assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety (PHQ-4). Two items scored 0 to 3 (total score of 0-6), with higher numbers indicating greater depressive symptoms.	12 months
Dental practice infection control efforts	Self-reports of infection control efforts in the respondents' primary dental practices	12 months
Dentists' use of personal protective equipment	Self-reports of personal protective equipment use	12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: American Dental Association
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Cameron G Estrich, MPH, PhD, American Dental Association Science and Research Institute

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Eldridge LA, Estrich CG, Gurenlian JR, Battrell A, Lynch A, Vujicic M, Morrissey R, Dershewitz S, Geisinger ML, Araujo MWB. US dental health care workers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Am Dent Assoc. 2022 Aug;153(8):740-749. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2022.02.011.
• Estrich CG, Mikkelsen M, Morrissey R, Geisinger ML, Ioannidou E, Vujicic M, Araujo MWB. Estimating COVID-19 prevalence and infection control practices among US dentists. J Am Dent Assoc. 2020 Nov;151(11):815-824. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2020.09.005.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): June 8, 2020
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): June 8, 2021
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): June 8, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 8, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 8, 2020
• First Posted (ACTUAL): June 9, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): July 22, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 20, 2021
• Last Verified: July 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; survey; infection control; dentistry
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Lung Diseases; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome; COVID-19; Infections
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20-08

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No