**6. Importance of financial and social support**

During the epidemic period, the Turkish government directly supported all healthcare professionals at high risk of contact with COVID-19, including those working in oral and dental health, as well as providing a significant quantity of medical equipment and device support to health institutions. Additionally, it took measures that would lead to improvements in the social status of healthcare personnel and encouraged them to increase the respect in the society for healthcare professionals. This attitude has had a doping effect in the fight of healthcare personnel against COVID-19. Of course, in a period when the economy and work life were unstable due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial support provided to fight against the pandemic had strained the Turkish economy. However, the psychological gain it created has prevented economic difficulties. Additionally, considering the humanitarian aspect and the long-term reflections of the outcomes gained from the lives that were saved, from the bodies that were freed from pain and from the brains that were restored to their normal thinking capacity, it is certain that the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic will be worth all kinds of economic difficulties. Considering the economic, psychosocial and health losses suffered by the USA, which is accepted as the most developed country in the world but caught unprepared for the pandemic due to its wrong decisions in terms of health [58], the value of the support to be given to the field of health has been understood

*Impact of COVID-19 on Oral and Dental Health Delivery and Recommendations… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98522*

better. Additionally, in a study on the effect of COVID-19 on healthcare workers, it was emphasized that healthcare workers should be encouraged to continue to provide high-quality and effective healthcare services [59]. In another study, it was determined that the rapid spread of COVID-19 and the lack of personal protective equipment, as well as witnessing deaths caused by the pandemic, fear of carrying the virus to family members and the deaths of colleagues, have seriously affected the mental health of healthcare professionals. For this reason, it was reported that the mental health of all healthcare professionals should be supported during and after the COVID-19 pandemic [60]. All these points show that it is important to support all healthcare professionals, including oral and dental healthcare professionals, financially and socially throughout the pandemic period.

Developments related to COVID-19 and many issues that remained in the dark initially caused anxiety in Turkey's dentistry community. However, as uncertainties and lack of information about COVID-19, which were a cause of fear, disappeared, and the necessary measures were taken, the desire to fight replaced anxiety. The measures taken, the training programs provided, and most importantly, the support of the Turkish state to healthcare professionals have enabled the people to come out of this process. The SARS-CoV-2 virus will continue to be effective for years to come. For this reason, the struggle against the pandemic should continue responsibly. As dental service providers, we exemplify our own struggle in this regard.
