Patient Satisfaction Regarding Biosecurity Protocols in the Face of COVID-19, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Costa Rica

Abstract

Biosecurity protocols are particularly important in dental practice. The aim of this research was to determine the level of patient satisfaction regarding biosecurity protocols used in the School of Dentistry of the University of Costa Rica, to avoid COVID-19 infections during dental care. A survey was sent by email to all patients who received dental consultations at the School of Dentistry between April and September 2021. They were asked about sociodemographic variables (sex, age range, approved educational level, and place of origin), as well as whether they considered safe the protocols used during the dental consultation to avoid COVID-19 infections. Descriptive statistics were performed proving the absolute and relative frequency of the socio-demographic variables and the satisfaction of patients with the protocols used. A Chi-square test was used to determine if there was a difference in patient satisfaction with biosecurity protocols to avoid COVID-19 infections during dental care and sociodemographic variables. 95.9% of the respondents considered the biosafety protocols used to be safe and there was no statistically significant difference between patient satisfaction with the protocols and sociodemographic variables. A large majority of patients who come to the UCR School of Dentistry are satisfied with the biosecurity protocols used to avoid COVID-19 infections during dental care.