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Open Access The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Decision-making Process of Mandibular Impacted Third Molar Extraction

This article is Open Access under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND licence.

Objectives: In this study, we investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the decision-making process for impacted mandibular third molar removal and related clinical teaching. Methods: From April 21 to April 28, 2020, we distributed a self-constructed survey via the Wenjuanxing software platform to oral clinicians engaged in the extraction of mandibular third molars. Results: We received 321 valid responses. Overall, 22.4% of clinicians were temporarily not performing tooth extractions in outpatient clinics and 50.2% of clinicians were temporarily not performing impacted tooth extractions. The main reason cited was that aerosol-generating high-speed handpieces were not recommended for use during the pandemic, opting instead for the surgical handpiece with copious saline irrigation as the main method for bone removal; the hammer-and-chisel method was considered to be too traumatic and posed too high of a risk for iatrogenic injury. Conclusions: The implementation of disease control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected clinical decision-making regarding impacted mandibular third molar extractions; the main reason cited was the contraindication of using aerosol-generating high-speed handpieces. The hammer-and-chisel method may represent a valuable surgical application under the requirements for epidemic prevention and control. We provide a new idea for the extraction of interrupted permanent molars in the context of epidemic prevention and control is provided.

Keywords: COVID-19; HAMMER-AND-CHISEL METHOD; IMPACTED MANDIBULAR THIRD MOLAR; SARS-COV2; WENJUANXING SOFTWARE

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Dental Implant Center, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China 2: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China 3: Department of Prosthodontics, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China;, Email: [email protected]

Publication date: February 1, 2023

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  • The American Journal of Health Behavior seeks to improve the quality of life through multidisciplinary health efforts in fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.

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