The New Normalcy in Dentistry after the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Italian Cross-Sectional Survey.

BACKGROUND: After the first lockdown, Italian dentists resumed their practice while handling several challenges. Reducing contagion risk by complying with the stringent measures recommended by the Italian Ministry of Health for dental activity while also balancing patient needs was a difficult task. This work aims to understand the procedures that were adopted in the second phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (5 May-30 September 2020) and the dentists' expectations and concerns about returning to normalcy. METHODS: A national survey with 38 questions was conducted from November 2020 to January 2021 and comparisons were performed among the five main Italian geographic areas. RESULTS: Located mainly in northwest Italy, 1028 dentists were included in the survey. About 83% of the Italian dentists fully restarted their activities after the lockdown. The resumption was significantly marked in North Italy and the Center than in the South (p < 0.01). Over 80% adopted the recommended precautional guidelines, modifying them according to the specific dental treatment executed. Fifty percent of dentists were confident in returning to normalcy after the COVID-19 crisis. Many precautions adopted during the pandemic will be continued, especially in South Italy and the Islands (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Italian dentists reported excellent autonomous organizational skills and the maintaining of high-quality precautions during the reopening phase.