Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has claimed thousands of lives worldwide. To enhance knowledge and awareness of COVID-19, considerable online resources have been made available, including aspects related to the dental profession. The study aim was to examine the knowledge, perception, and attitude of dental professionals in Indonesia toward COVID-19. We conducted a survey via a questionnaire created using Google docs and distributed to 632 members of the Indonesian Dental Association in the context of a webinar hosted by the Indonesian Oral Biology Association on first June, 2020.Materials and Methods: The questionnaire consisted of 17 items pertaining to demographic data, knowledge and virus identification, awareness regarding drugs commonly used in dentistry during pandemic and research opportunities. Participants were asked to complete the questionnaire after the webinar by choosing one answer to each question. For the analysis, participants were divided into three groups according to their professional background i.e., employment at national hospital, private hospital, or academic faculty. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and expressed as frequencies and percentages. The chi-square test was used to investigate the association between professional activity and the level of knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes about COVID-19.Results: Sixty percent of the participants correctly identified the pathogenesis of the disease. This knowledge was not associated with their professional affiliation (p = 0.95). Sixty-seven percentage had comprehensive knowledge about virus detection methods. This knowledge was not associated with their affiliation either (p = 0.54). Questions regarding drugs of choice, prevention, and the spread of COVID-19 were correctly answered by 89, 96, and 82% of the participants, respectively. Knowledge of these aspects were significantly associated with the professional affiliation (p < 0.05). All respondents were optimistic regarding research opportunities (p < 0.01). Respondents from academics were more interested in joining COVID-19-related research projects with governmental institutions (p < 0.01).Conclusion: Knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 among Indonesian dentists are reasonably good. However, further improvement would be beneficial to manage patients during this pandemic. As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Indonesia, it is important that dentists keep abreast of the updated knowledge on this moving field. Dentist knowledge on infection control should be strengthened through continuous educational programs.
Highlights
Since it was first reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, Central China in December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major health concern worldwide [1]
Considering this research gap, in the present study we evaluated the level of knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 among dental professionals in Indonesia
This was a survey-based study conducted via a questionnaire distributed to all dentist members of the Indonesian Dental Association attending a webinar hosted by the Indonesian Oral Biology Association on first June, 2020 on COVID-19 related topic
Summary
Since it was first reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, Central China in December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major health concern worldwide [1]. COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which causes pneumonia, with symptoms ranging from mild to deadly. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020 [4]. As of July 6, 2020, COVID-19 had spread to 216 countries, causing 11,496,926 confirmed cases and over 535,390 deaths [5]. Indonesia reported its first two cases on March 2, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has claimed thousands of lives worldwide. To enhance knowledge and awareness of COVID-19, considerable online resources have been made available, including aspects related to the dental profession. The study aim was to examine the knowledge, perception, and attitude of dental professionals in Indonesia toward COVID-19. We conducted a survey via a questionnaire created using Google docs and distributed to 632 members of the Indonesian Dental Association in the context of a webinar hosted by the Indonesian Oral Biology Association on first June, 2020
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