Assessments the effective factors on returning to work among dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Guilan is one of the provinces with the most SARS-CoV-2 cases in Iran since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic. Occupation incapacity imposes a massive economic burden on society, which results in individual, social and economic consequences. Due to the fact that no study has been conducted in this regard, we decided to investigate the effective factors on returning to work among dental students of Guilan University of Medical Sciences under the influence of Covid-19 pandemic.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2021 to November 2021, including demographical and clinical data (gender, age, body mass index (BMI), underlying disease, academic year (fifth or sixth), SARS-CoV-2 infection, positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19, computed tomography (CT) scan result, clinical symptoms of COVID-19, physician diagnosis in favor of COVID-19, duration of hospitalization, home hospitalization, recovery duration, health insurance, physical and psychological status, and duration of return to work) among dental students of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Anzali, Iran, who were working in the dental clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic and willing to participate in the study. The statistical analysis was performed via SPSS software version 22.

Results: The mean duration of return to work was 7.18 ± 3.29 months. Gender was related to the duration of return to work with the mean of 9.17± 4.89 months in males, and 6.25± 1.63 months in females. BMI was reported as a related factor with duration of return to work, consequently by increasing the BMI, duration of returning to work also increases. Age, underlying disease, academic year (fifth or sixth), COVID-19 infection, duration of hospitalization, recovery duration, and physical and psychological status were not related to the duration of returning to work.

Conclusion: In this study, complete readiness to return to work was 62.5%.  Also, gender and BMI were determined as the most significant factors that related to the duration of return to work