Edited by Dentaltown staff
CHICAGO—The American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Dental Hygienists’ Associations (ADHA) today released the first known U.S. study to evaluate the mental well-being of frontline dentists and dental hygienists during the pandemic, as well as the association between the COVID-19 vaccine and mental health. The one-year study, conducted between June 2020 and June 2021, found that dental health care workers reported lower rates of anxiety and depression symptoms than the general public, despite being on the front lines and providing oral health care during the pandemic.
Other key findings include:
- 17.7% of dental health care workers reported anxiety symptoms, 10.7% reported depression symptoms, and 8.3% reported symptoms of both.
- Dental hygienists reported higher rates of depression symptoms than dentists, with depression symptom rates peaking in December 2020, and declining in 2021.
- At the end of the study period, both groups had relatively similar depression rates — 11.8% for dentists and 12.4% for hygienists.
- Some participants’ anxiety symptoms decreased after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, as unvaccinated dental health care workers suffered significantly more anxiety symptoms (20.6%) compared to fully-vaccinated dental health care workers (14.1%).
The research, published in the August issues of the Journal of the American Dental Association and the Journal of Dental Hygiene, marks an important moment in oral health care, showing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline dental health care workers and the importance of prioritizing mental wellbeing in the profession.
For more information, contact mediarelations@ada.org.