The Evalutaion of oral and maxillofacial surgeons' behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic process in Turkey

The aim of the study is to see the effects of COVID-19 outbreak on oral, dental and maxillofacial surgeons in the current situation and research how it is affected throughout Turkey.. The goal is not only to collect and analyze data, but also to highlight what the specialty is facing and how the situation is handled by surgeons. The correct use of limited resources by oral, dental and maxillofacial surgeons was questioned, and their level of knowledge was aimed to be measured. It is thought that our study will contribute to the literature and physicians in correcting incomplete and incorrectly known information. In this process, it is aimed to evaluate the differences in the number of patients in various regions of our country, the changes in the number of procedures performed in oral and maxillofacial surgery, and the measures taken to protect patients and physicians. In the light of this information obtained, it is thought that planning the number of personnel in the upcoming period in oral and maxillofacial surgery procedures will facilitate physicians' access to accurate information. In our study, a questionnaire consisting of 40 questions was developed online via Google forms to evaluate the behavior of oral, dental and maxillofacial surgeons in Turkey during the Covid-19 pandemic process. 304 oral, dental and maxillofacial surgeons participated in our study. After preparing and checking the data collected with the questionnaire applications used in the research, the descriptive analysis phase was passed. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS v25 package program (Version 24.0; IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). Descriptive statistics for categorical variables (socio-demographic) are presented as frequency and percentage. As a result of our study, with the spread of the epidemic, it was seen that although the oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery departments were not at the forefront of this struggle, some regions were assigned for filiation, swab taking and fever measurement services. It was determined that they postponed non-urgent surgeries in order to prevent disease transmission and to keep health institutions in sufficient capacity. Patients were accepted only in emergencies. It was observed that there was an increase in the use of FFP1 / FFP2 and FFP3 type masks, gloves, protective visors / goggles, gowns, caps, overshoes and overalls to limit the spread of the infection and an increase in the use and variety of appropriate personal protective equipment was observed. It was observed that the increase in the number of equipment negatively affected their working performance and they did not feel safe psychologically. It was determined that economic problems started to arise due to the decrease in the number of patients and the suspension of income generating practices. Considering that oral, dental and maxillofacial surgeons' processing area are composed of many components such as polyclinic, local and general operating room applications, it is observed that they feel the psychological, sociological, economic changes and difficulties brought by the pandemic more. Key words: COVID-19,Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Survey