Impact of COVID– 19 on the Psychological Health of Dental Professionals: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND- An outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has influenced every aspect of life. Healthcare workers, especially dentists, are at a high risk of getting infected due to close contact with patients Aim- to identify factors that can affect the psychological health of dental professionals during the COVID – 19 pandemic. METHOD- This systematic review was conducted for the full-text English articles focusing in the field of dentistry, specifically looking at the impact of COVID – 19 on the psychological health of dental professionals, from January 1st 2020 to April 1st 2021. RESULTS- A total of 677 papers were retrieved, reduced to 136 following removal of duplicates. The abstracts were screened using the eligibility criteria, and 52 were found to match the criteria. After screening the full-text articles, 32 were excluded, resulting in a total of 20 studies. The significant findings and conclusions from these studies were extracted and grouped under themes. CONCLUSION- The 3 major factors responsible for affecting the psychological health of dental professionals during the COVID – 19 pandemic include- fear of contagion, subjective overload, and perceived job insecurity and loss of income. There is a need for countries to enact measures that ensure positive mental wellbeing of dental professionals, so that they do not take any adverse action or decisions. Furthermore, should another pandemic or viral outbreak occur in the future, policies and strategies designed and implemented, will ensure dental professionals continue to deliver service without significant psychological distress.