19 January 2023 : Clinical Research
Determining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Care in the Serbian Adult Population: An Online Questionnaire-Based Study
Marija Nikolić1ABCDEF*, Aleksandar Mitić1ABE, Jelena Petrović
2ABCDF, Dragana Dimitrijević2ABCD, Jelena Popović1ABDE, Nenad Stošić1ABE, Vera Stojanovska3ACEF
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.939238
Med Sci Monit 2023; 29:e939238
Table 2 The significance of the differences between observed habits related to professional dental care (questions Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) paired before and during the pandemic (paired t test).
| M | SD | t test | DF | P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pair 1* | Q3. I have postponed dental visits due to fear even prior to the pandemic. | 2.10 | 1.491 | −.433 | 2059 | .665*** |
| Q5. I have postponed dental visits due to the pandemic. | 2.11 | 1.483 | ||||
| Pair 2* | Q4. I have “treated” myself for dental problems (took medicine, applied compresses, rinses…) to avoid going to the dentist even prior to the pandemic. | 1.65 | 1.217 | 2.892 | 2059 | ** |
| Q6. I would try (or have already tried) to “treat myself” (take medicine, apply compresses, rinses…) to avoid or postpone dental visits during the pandemic. | 1.57 | 1.112 | ||||
| * Pair 1 – questions Q3 from section II and Q5 from section III of the questionnaire; Pair 2 – questions, Q4 from section II and Q6 from section III of the questionnaire. ** Statistically significant for *** Not statistically significant. | ||||||