Influence of the Sanitary, Economic, and Social Crisis of COVID-19 on the Emotional State of Dentistry in Galicia (Spain)

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to analyze the economic, social, and emotional repercussions among Galician dentists (Spain) as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was filled out by 347 professionals. After verifying the survey’s reliability using Cronbach’s alpha = 0.84, the professional activity and emotional state of the participants were assessed based on aspects related to their personal and family data. The economic impact of the pandemic was considerable, and all participants experienced a decrease in income. In total, 72% of the participants considered that working with personal protective equipment (PPE) made their clinical activities difficult, and 60% expressed concern about being infected during their professional practice. Among the professionals, women (p = 0.005), and separated, divorced, or single professionals (p = 0.003) were the most strongly affected. Separated or divorced professionals were the group that most frequently raised the need to make a radical change in their lives. Finally, it was observed that the emotional consequences varied substantially in the lives of these professionals, mainly among female dentists (p = 0.010), separated and divorced men (p = 0.000), and those with fewer years of professional practice (p = 0.021). The COVID-19 pandemic had an economic impact, due to the decrease in the number of patients and hours of attention, as well as an emotional impact, mostly expressed in the form of sleep disorders and stress. The most vulnerable professionals were women and professionals with fewer years of experience.