Financial, supplies, and human resource preparedness in management of COVID-19 pandemic among dental facilities in Nairobi County, Kenya

The COVID-19 pandemic put a strain on healthcare facilities across the globe. Dental facilities pose the highest COVID-19 transmission risk categories due to the aerosol-generating procedures involved in dental practice. This study aimed to determine financial, supplies, and human resource preparedness in managing the COVID-19 pandemic among Nairobi County, Kenya dental facilities. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach among 183 dental facilities in Nairobi County. Data was collected using a KoboCollect questionnaire and analyzed using MS Excel and SPSS version 26. Dental facilities' readiness was assessed using the ReadyScore Criteria. Qualitative data was collected through one-on-one interviews with key informants and analyzed thematically. Readyscore Criteria analysis showed that 39 (21.3%) of the evaluated dental facilities were considered "ready," while 133 (72.7%) and 11 (6%) were considered to have "work to do" and "not ready" for the pandemic. Bivariate analysis showed that the level of facility (p<0.001), presence of other departments (p<0.001), funds sufficiency for COVID-19 emergency response (p=0.001), and clients attended per month (p=0.017) were statistically significant factors associated with pandemic preparedness scores. Regression analysis revealed that the presence of other departments among the dental facilities was a significant predictor of readiness, with a 4.5 times higher likelihood of being ready for a pandemic (aOR 4.591; 1.471–14.327, p=0.009) compared to other facilities. Support from healthcare authorities and capacity-building initiatives are recommended to enhance preparedness and resilience among dental facilities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.