Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic management performance of 4 different orthodontic health-care institutions held by public, private, and foundation systems in Turkey: A preliminary study

Abstract

Objective: This article presents a comparison of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic management activities between different health-care institutions providing orthodontic treatment services. Methods: Patients from 1 public university, 1 oral and dental health center affiliated to the Ministry of Health, 1 foundation university, and 2 private dental practices in Bursa and Bolu were asked to complete a questionnaire about the problems they experienced with their ongoing treatments during the coronavirus disease 2019 quarantine process. Descriptive statistics with percentages were performed, and the institutions were compared in terms of their performance in managing the pandemic process based on the answers. Results: The questionnaire was answered by 1108 people. The comparisons between institutions revealed the superiority of private practices in appointment arrangement frequency by having appointments within 1 month by 19.8%, in communication skills with 4.04 mean value, and in anxiety management by 3.08 mean value of anxiety frequency about treatment elongation when evaluated with a 5-point Likert scale. The rate of not being informed about pandemic management was highest in foundation universities. Conclusion: The quarantine and coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic showed to have an impact on orthodontic treatments. In private practices, the patient–doctor interaction was more effective. Private practices have the lowest anxiety levels. Only private practices used video calls for communication. Doctors in filiation applications had an important role in the overall welfare of the people. However, this operation had a deteriousle impact on orthodontic appointments and treatment options.