Projects
022 – Impact of COVID-19 on dentistry in Australia
- Chief Investigator A: A/Prof Matthew Hopcraft
- Chief Investigator B: Dr Felicity Crombie
Introduction
COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic that affects every aspect of life around the world. Our project seeks to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental practice in Australia.
Aim
To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental practice in Australia, for comparison with other countries around the world.
Rationale
Dentistry all around the world has been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and it is timely to examine how dental practitioners have managed this. This study is a collaboration with the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology and Community Dentistry in Milan, Italy, with researchers from a number of countries collecting similar data that will then allow comparative analysis.
Methodology
Information about working practices and attitudes to managing dentistry during the pandemic will be collected using a brief, fully anonymised electronic questionnaire. Participants will be invited to take part through a link to the questionnaire. The study will be sent to dental practitioners through their professional associations and via social media channels targeting closed dental forums. Simple descriptive statistical analysis will follow to help describe how dentists in different countries are/have managed their work during the pandemic. Results will be disseminated via scientific reports, journal articles and presentations.
What are the expected outcomes?
It is anticipated this project will:
- Report on the impact of COVID-19 on dentistry in Australia
- Compare the impact of COVID-19 on dentistry in Australia with other countries in the world.
