Change of decontamination habits at Moroccan dentaloffices and laboratories during the COVID Pandemic: Anepidemiologicalstudy

Abstract

The objective of our study was to evaluate the change in the habits of dentists and dental technicians in the city of Casablanca, Morocco, in relation to the decontamination of fixed dental prosthesis works during the pandemic of COVID. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 106 dentists and 30 dental technicians by using an anonymous questionnaire. 50% of the dentists have adopted strict and precise protocols for decontamination and disinfection of dental works compared to 76.7% of the dental technicians. 31.1% of the dentists decided to use a more virucidal disinfectant product versus 33.3% of the technicians. 32.1% of the dentists did not change their disinfection/decontamination habits for prosthetic works in the COVID-19 era versus 6.7% of dental technicians. 92.5% of the dentists and 93.3% of the dental technicians invested more in disinfectants during the COVID period. Many prosthodontists changed their habits during COVID crisis compared to dentists who disinfected prosthetic pieces even before the pandemic. Dentists like technicians adopted stricter and more precise protocols and invested more in disinfectants products during the pandemic. A standardized decontamination protocol should be established and applied and the use of chair-side computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD-CAM) helps to control cross-infection.