# Management of SARS-CoV-2 Prevention Methods in Dental Offices—A Cross-Sectional Study in Bucharest, Romania

## TL;DR

This study examined how dental offices in Bucharest adjusted their infection prevention methods for SARS-CoV-2 before and during the pandemic.

## Contribution

The study provides insights into the changes in personal protection equipment and vaccination practices among dentists during the pandemic.

## Key findings

- Dentists increased the use of personal protection equipment like ocular/facial protection and upgraded masks.
- Vaccination rates among dentists were 80%, with statistical significance, but patient vaccination status did not affect protocols.
- Ocular protection use showed statistical significance by gender but not by age group.

## Abstract

We compared the managing of prevention methods for SARS-CoV-2 infections in dental offices before and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to find out the varieties of infection prevention methods used by dentists before and during the pandemic and compare them. We designed a digital transversal questionnaire with 15 closed questions that was sent to 150 dentists in Bucharest, Romania. We received n = 112 valid answers during July-August 2021 from dentists of all age groups (25–60 years), with a sex ratio of 0.36, which agreed to anonymously participate in this study. The results showed an increase in types and amount of personal protection equipment (i.e., ocular/facial protection, supplemental gown, and upgrading the FFP1 masks to FFP2 or FFP3). Ocular protection showed statistical significance by gender but not by age group. Vaccination rate against SARS-CoV-2 was at 80% of the participant dentists at the time of the survey and had statistical significance. However, vaccination status of the patients did not alter dentists’ protection protocol.