Dental Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Patient Perceptions of Barriers to Dental Care, COVID-19 Safety Precautions, and Administration of the COVID-19 Vaccine at the Dental Office

Brunilda Lugo; Sheri Denslow; Jill Fromewick; Scott Davis; Katherine Jowers; J Amadeo Valdez

doi:10.36518/2689-0216.1403

Dental Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Patient Perceptions of Barriers to Dental Care, COVID-19 Safety Precautions, and Administration of the COVID-19 Vaccine at the Dental Office

HCA Healthc J Med. 2023 Feb 28;4(1):23-34. doi: 10.36518/2689-0216.1403. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Brunilda Lugo¹, Sheri Denslow¹, Jill Fromewick¹, Scott Davis², Katherine Jowers³, J Amadeo Valdez³

Affiliations

¹ UNC Health Sciences at Mountain Area Health Education Center, Research, Asheville, NC.
² University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, Chapel Hill, NC.
³ Mountain Area Health Education Center, Dental Health Center, and Center for Advanced Training, Asheville, NC.

Abstract

Background: The Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) Dental Health Center sought to learn how COVID-19 affected dental care attainment and patient perceptions of appropriate safety measures, as well as their acceptance of the dental office as a site for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of dental patients was performed to inquire about barriers to care, safety precautions, including COVID-19 testing, and the acceptability of vaccination for COVID-19 in the dental office. All adult patients of the MAHEC Dental Health Center with an email address on file and a clinic visit in the past year were randomized for inclusion.

Results: We sampled 261 adult patients; the majority were White (83.1%), female (70.1%), and over 60 years of age (60.1%). Patients who were included had visited the clinic for routine cleanings (67.2%) and dental emergency care (77.4%) in the past year. Respondents supported safety precautions at the clinic; however, there was little support for mandatory COVID-19 testing prior to a visit (14.7%). Just under half (47.3%) of respondents believed it would be appropriate for a dental office to give COVID-19 vaccinations.

Conclusions: Overall, patients experienced concerns during the pandemic but still sought dental care for routine treatments and emergencies. Patients supported the use of precautionary COVID-19 safety measures at the clinic, though they did not support mandatory COVID-19 testing prior to a visit. Respondents were split on the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination in the dental clinic.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 infection; dental care; dentistry; dentist’s role; infectious disease; mass vaccinations; primary health care; professional role.