Survey of contamination by COVID-19 in dentists versus professors in Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i3.26151

Keywords:

SARS-CoV-2; Dentistry; Infection Control.

Abstract

We sought to assess the contamination of COVID-19 in dentists who are highly exposed to the means of transmission of the disease, compared to selected teachers from different levels of education. The research was approved by CEP/UFJF - 4,690,509. This is a qualitative-quantitative cross-sectional study, with a sample of 133 dentists, paired with elementary, high and higher education teachers (n=68) from all over Brazil. Data collection was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire (May to August 2021). Most of both professionals were female, from the Southeast region and had symptoms related to the disease. While 68% of the professors were in exclusive remote activity, 70% of the dentists worked in clinical environments. There was a statistical association between the variables type of exam performed, test result and days of leave, considering the profession (p<0.05). The contamination of dentists by COVID-19 is low, compared to teachers who were mostly working remotely. Contact with family members positive for the virus was present in most professionals, suggesting contamination acquired by them. With this, it becomes relevant to assume a personal commitment to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the country, both in the social and professional spheres by the entire population, regardless of their way of working and the risks of exposure inherent to it.

References

Brasil. Ministério da Educação. 2021. Divulgados dados sobre impacto da pandemia na educação. https://www.gov.br/inep/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/censo-escolar/divulgados-dados-sobre-impacto-da-pandemia-na-educacao.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 1). 2020. Healthcare Personnel Preparedness Checklist for 2019-nCoV. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/hcp-preparednesschecklist.pdf.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2). 2020. Implementing Filtering Facepiece Respirator (FFR) Reuse, Including Reuse after Decontamination, When There Are Known Shortages of N95 Respirators. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/decontamination-reuse-respirators.html.

Chen, X., Ran, R., Liu, Q., Hu, Q., Du, X., & Tan, X. (2020). Hand Hygiene, Mask-Wearing Behaviors and Its Associated Factors during the COVID-19 Epidemic: A Cross-Sectional Study among Primary School Students in Wuhan, China. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 17(8), 2893.

Estrich, C. G., Mikkelsen, M., Morrissey, R., Geisinger, M. L., Ioannidou. E., Vujicic, M., & Araújo, M. W. B. (2020). Estimating COVID-19 prevalence and infection control practices among US dentists. J Am Dent Assoc., 151(11), 815-824.

Fenton, L., Gribben, C., Caldwell, D., Colville, S., Bishop, J., Reid, M., White, J., Campbell, M., Hutchinson, S., Robertson, C., Colhoun, H. M., Wood, R., McKeigue, P. M., & McAllister, D. A. (2021). Risk of hospital admission with covid-19 among teachers compared with healthcare workers and other adults of working age in Scotland, March 2020 to July 2021: population based case-control study. BMJ. 374:n2060.

Ferreira, R. C., Gomes, V. E., Rocha, N. B., Rodrigues, L. G., Amaral, J. H. L., Senna, M. I. B., & Alencar, G. P. (2021). COVID-19 morbidity among oral health professionals in Brazil. Int Dent J. S0020-6539(21)00101-5.

Hodge, J. G., Jr. Emergency Legal Preparedness: COVID-19. 2020. https://www.networkforphl. org/resources/emergency-legal-preparedness-covid19/.

Ismail, S. A., Saliba, V., Bernal, J. L., Ramsay, M. E., & Ladhani, S. N. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in educational settings: a prospective, cross-sectional analysis of infection clusters and outbreaks in England. Lancet Infect Dis, 21(3), 344-353.

Kirsten, C., Unrath, M., Dalpke, A. H., Berner, R., & Armann, J. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in students and teachers: a longitudinal study from May to October 2020 in German secondary schools. BMJ Open, 11(6), e049876.

Lai, C., Shih, T., Ko, W., Tang, H., & Hsueh, P. (2020). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19): the epidemic and the challenges. Int J Antimicrob Agents, 55(3), 105924.

Ministério da Saúde 1. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. 2021. Boletim Epidemiológico Especial 78 – Doença pelo Novo Coronavírus – COVID-19. https://www.gov.br/saude/pt-br/media/pdf/2021/setembro/14/boletim_epidemiologico_covid_78-1.pdf.

Ministério da Saúde 2. 2021. Ministério da Saúde lança Plano Nacional de Expansão da Testagem para Covid-19. https://www.gov.br/saude/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/2021-1/setembro/ministerio-da-saude-lanca-plano-nacional-de-expansao-da-testagem-para-covid-19.

Ministério do Trabalho. 2020. Covid-19 Orientações Empregador e Trabalhador. https://www.gov.br/trabalho-e-previdencia/pt-br/composicao/orgaos-especificos/secretaria-de-trabalho/inspecao/covid-19-1.

Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS 1). 2020. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-2019) Advice for the Public. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019.

Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS 2). 2020. Infection prevention and control for the safe management of a dead body in the context of COVID-19: interim guidance. Disponível em: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/331538. Acesso em: 11 dezembro 2021.

Our World in Data (OWD). 2021. School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/school-closures-covid.

Peng, X., Xu, X., Li,, Y., Cheng, L., Zhou, X., & Ren, B. (2020). Transmission routes of 2019-nCoV and controls in dental practice. Int. J. Oral Sci, 12(9).

Santos, I. G., Souza, V. G. C., Silva, G. T. V., Lourenço, A. H. T., Laxe, L. A. C., & Apolônio, A. C. M. (2021). Biosafety in dental practices versus COVID-19 outbreak. Pesqui Bras Odontopediatria Clín Integr., 21:e0193.

Universidade de São Paulo (USP). 2020. COVID-19 no Brasil – Análise de Subnotificações. https://ciis.fmrp.usp.br/covid19/analise-subnotificacao/.

Vlachos, J., Hertegård, E., & Svaleryd, H. (2020). School closures and SARS-CoV-2. Evidence from Sweden’s partial school closure. medRxiv. doi:10.13.20211359.

Volgenant, C. M. C., & De Soet, J. J. (2018). Cross-transmission in the Dental Office: Does This Make You Ill? Curr. Oral Health Rep., 5(4), 221-228.

Published

10/02/2022

How to Cite

SOUZA, V. G. C. .; RODRIGUES, L. de O. .; LAXE, L. A. C. .; APOLÔNIO, A. C. M. . Survey of contamination by COVID-19 in dentists versus professors in Brazil. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 3, p. e3811326151, 2022. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v11i3.26151. Disponível em: https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/26151. Acesso em: 22 nov. 2024.

Issue

Section

Health Sciences