engleski

Forming a questionnaire for comparison of accessibility and habits of using dental medicine services before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and a pilot study

Aim: To investigate the possible impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on accessibility and habits of using dental medicine services, a questionnaire was developed, and a pilot study was conducted. Materials and methods: The questionnaire comprises 40 questions related to general patients’ data and their habits of use, as well as accessibility and satisfaction with the quality of dental medicine services before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The questionnaire was filled by 145 users of dental services in the city of Split, divided into four age groups. Results: Most of the examinees (92.9%) indicated they abide by anti-Covid-19 measures. The questionnaire showed that the examinees found the accessibility of dental medicine services somewhat lesser during the Covid-19 pandemic than in the preceded year. 14.4% of them changed the frequency of visiting dental medicine doctors, and 20.2% changed their habits of pursuing dental care treatments. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 2.8% of examinees that usually went to a public dental health care doctor were forced to visit a private-practice doctor of dental medicine because of reasons related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The questionnaire was well accepted by the examinees and gave insight into the state of dental services before and during the pandemic in the city of Split and nearby area. Further study on samples from broader area and statistical analysis of data is needed to determine if the Covid-19 pandemic impacted accessibility and habits of using dental medicine services

accessibility ; habits ; dental medicine services ; Covid-19 pandemic

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