The health and quality of life of dental workers in jordan during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study

• Published in: Work (Reading, Mass.) Vol. 79; no. 1; p. 15
• Main Authors: Al-Hourani, Zeid A, Almhdawi, Khader A, AlBakri, Isra A, Alibrahim, Anas N, Obeidat, Donia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 01-01-2024
• Subjects: Adult; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - psychology; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dentists - psychology; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - psychology; Female; Humans; Jordan - epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Stress - psychology; Pandemics; Quality of Life - psychology; SARS-CoV-2; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Jordan; Cross-sectional studies; quality of life; Health; Epidemiology; humans; workers
• ISSN: 1875-9270
• DOI: 10.3233/WOR-220458

Dental team members are susceptible to high mental and physical stress levels, which could have increased during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
This study aimed to evaluate Jordanian dental workers' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and determine its predictors during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This was a cross-sectional survey study conducted on dental team members, namely; Dentists, dental Assistants, and Dental Technicians. The survey questionnaire was composed of questions related to stress during COVID-19, a short-form survey of 12 items (SF-12), a Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale (DASS-21), and a Nordic musculoskeletal disorder questionnaire (NMQ). Descriptive analyses were used to describe the main outcome measures, and multiple variable regression analysis was conducted to identify the quality of life predictors.
Participants' HRQoL measured by SF-12 showed a mean±SD score of 67.1±17.19 for the physical component and 54.51±20.27 for the mental component. The Nordic scale showed symptoms of lower back pain as 63.9% over 12 months, 32% over 12 months' functional limitation symptoms, and 45% in 7 days The regression model was found strong for our study with 53.8% variations (r2 = 0.538, F = 43.739, P < 0.001) in health-related quality of life.
Our study concluded that the level of HRQoL among Jordanian dental specialists during COVID-19 was observed to impact levels of physical and mental well-being which negatively influence the quality of life. Predictive factors like depression, stress, anxiety, musculoskeletal health, and individual everyday quality of life significantly affect the HRQoL of dental specialists.