Awareness related to COVID 19 among dental health-care students and professionals of national capital region: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Background and Objective: The Coronavirus 2 syndrome (SARS CoV 2) or COVID-19 pandemic's rapid and widespread reach has become a major cause of concern to the dental health-care profession. The goal of this study was to assess the knowledge among dental students and professionals about COVID-19 disease and related infection management practices in the region of Delhi-National Capital Region, India. Materials and Methods: An online questionnaire was created, and it was divided into six sections to assess the awareness with respect to the facts, diagnostic aspects of the disease, and its importance in dental treatment. Convenient sampling method was used for data collection. Comparison was done among the following four groups: Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students, Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) students, academicians (teaching in a dental college), and academicians + practitioners (teaching/not teaching but working in a private dental clinic) over a total of 500 responses for a period of 10 days. The data were coded, entered, and analyzed using SPSS 20.0 version. Descriptive statistics, frequencies, and percentages were used to summarize the data. ANOVA test was used to determine the association of study disciplines among BDS, MDS, practitioners, and academicians and practitioners. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The average correct responses among various sections among all groups came out to be 60.64%, with the highest score being 64.91% among academicians + practitioners and the lowest score being 57.45% among BDS students. Among the sections, 72.4% was highest (section 1: what is coronavirus) and 41.2% was lowest (section 5: diagnosis/tests). Comparison of the overall sections among various groups showed a nonsignificant result although some individual questions showed a statistically significant result. Conclusion: Dental health professionals need regular educational activities and training programs on infection prevention practices with respect to COVID-19 infection to serve not just their own practice but also to help the health-care sector in case the demand arises.