Psychological and financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during the first stages of the pandemic: Brazilian orthodontists´ perspective

ABSTRACT Introduction: Brazil faced a catastrophic situation in the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the high risk of contamination and spread of COVID-19, dentist have been attending only urgency and emergency services in Brazil at the beginning of the pandemic. Objective: This research aimed to evaluate the psychological and financial impacts caused by the coronavirus pandemic in Brazilian orthodontists. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study collected demographic data and mental health measurements from 404 orthodontists. Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress were evaluated through Brazilian versions of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (9-PHQ), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale and Mini-Tracking (GAD), the 7-item Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the 22-item Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), respectively. The demographic data of the sample was described using descriptive statistics. The data was analyzed according to sex, professional status, and economic income. Comparisons were performed using Chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Kruskal-Wallis followed by post-hoc tests. Results: Females, graduate students, and lower incomes subgroups showed higher levels of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress. Most orthodontists showed moderate to extreme financial and professional concerns during the pandemic. Conclusion: The coronavirus pandemic negatively affected the psychological health and increased the financial concerns of the Brazilian orthodontists, mainly female, graduate students, and with income below 10k participants.