SARS-CoV-2 TEST OUTCOMES AMONG DENTISTS AND DENTAL HYGIENISTS WITH COVID-19-LIKE COMPLAINTS - A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS FROM THE NETHERLANDS

Fridus G A Van der Weijden; Brechje de Gier; Monique J C de Bruin; Cees Valkenburg; Dagmar E Slot

doi:10.1016/j.jebdp.2022.101779

SARS-CoV-2 TEST OUTCOMES AMONG DENTISTS AND DENTAL HYGIENISTS WITH COVID-19-LIKE COMPLAINTS - A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS FROM THE NETHERLANDS

J Evid Based Dent Pract. 2022 Dec;22(4):101779. doi: 10.1016/j.jebdp.2022.101779. Epub 2022 Sep 20.

Authors

Fridus G A Van der Weijden¹, Brechje de Gier², Monique J C de Bruin³, Cees Valkenburg³, Dagmar E Slot⁴

Affiliations

¹ Committee member Guideline Oral Care Corona, Mondzorgalliantie, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Periodontology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
² Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Periodontology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁴ Committee member Guideline Oral Care Corona, Mondzorgalliantie, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Periodontology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: d.slot@acta.nl.

Abstract

Objective: This retrospective analysis aimed to evaluate, among individuals with COVID-19-like symptoms, the percentage of SARS-CoV-2 positive oral health care workers relative to health care workers in general and a non-close-contact occupation reference group in the Netherlands.

Materials and methods: Data was retrospectively analyzed based on data extracted from the CoronIT database. This contained mass testing data for those experiencing symptoms compatible with COVID-19 recorded from June 2020 up to February 2021. The total number of tests taken and the number of SARS-CoV-2 positive tests were assessed. Sub-analyses were performed for oral health care and health care workers based in professional working locations, long-term care facilities, hospitals, or elsewhere.

Results: In total, data from 1,999,390 tests were obtained. Overall, 9.4% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the three occupational groups. This was 9.2% for oral health care workers, 9.5% for health care workers, and 9.3% for the non-close-contact occupation reference group. For the three occupational groups the adjusted odds ratio with the month as covariate varied from 0.76 to 1.12. The odds ratio for oral health care workers compared to health care workers was 1 [95% CI:0.95;1.05] and 0.97 [95% CI:0.92;1.02] compared to the non-close-contact occupation reference group. Interpretation of the magnitude of the odds ratio indicates that the observed differences are none to very small.

Conclusion: During the pandemic oral health care providers were required to adhere to the COVID-19-specific amendments to the national infection control guidelines. Based on the data gathered, dentists and dental hygienists with COVID-19-like symptoms do not test SARS-CoV-2 positive more often than other health care workers or those with a non-close-contact occupation. This supports the assumption that working during the pandemic using the Dutch standard hygiene guideline supplemented with the COVID guideline for oral health care is adequately safe.

Keywords: Dental care professionals; Dental hygienist; Dental practice; Dentist; Oral health care workers; SARS-CoV-2.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Dental Hygienists
Health Personnel
Humans
Pandemics
Retrospective Studies
SARS-CoV-2*