Abstract
Objectives: The dental profession is one of the occupations at the highest risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection because of the involvement of aerosol-generating procedures. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and perception of dentists regarding COVID19 infection control in Bangalore city. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among dentists in Bangalore city using an online questionnaire. The questions were related to socio-demographic data and the knowledge, attitude and perceptions of the dentists towards COVID-19 and infection control during dental practice. A sample size of 254 dentists was obtained after duration of 2 months. Descriptive statistics were performed and the data obtained were presented in the form of graphs and tables Results: The study included 254 participants (188 females and 66 males) majority of whom belonged to an age group of < 30 years (78.3%). A total of 209 (83.3%) of the study participants have completed a master’s degree in dentistry. Among 254 dentists, 141 (55.5%) of them had received training regarding infection control in dentistry while only 102 (40.2 %) of them had attended any training regarding COVID-19. Majority of the dentists were aware about the symptoms, modes of transmission, diagnosis, risk identification and important measures for prevention of COVID-19 transmission. Most of the dentists perceived COVID-19 as a serious public health issue (85.4%). Conclusions: The study has shown an acceptable level of awareness and preparedness among the dentists working in Bangalore city considering the aim of the study. However, SARS-CoV-2 infection is a novel disease and is yet to be fully explored. Adequate research has to be carried out to shed light on the unexplored areas regarding COVID-19 and infection control.
Highlights
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a rapidly spreading viral infection
Preparedness for COVID-19 Infection Majority (73.6 %) of the study participants considered themselves prepared for the COVID-19 outbreak. [Figure 3] Majority of the study participants recorded that they knew whom to contact when a situation of unprotected exposure to the virus occurs (91.7 %) and knew what to do if they have signs or symptoms of the disease (97.2 %). This cross-sectional study provides an insight on the level of knowledge, attitude and perception of dentists working in Bangalore city on COVID-19 infection control
This may be because of the high proportion of females in dental profession in the country. This was comparable with a study done by Khader et al in 2020.1 Present study showed that majority of the study participants (50.4 %) worked in a private clinic. This result was comparable with a study done by Dhanya et al in 2016.7 Knowledge about COVID-19 Infection was found to be adequate among the dentists in the current study
Summary
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a rapidly spreading viral infection. It is considered more contagious than severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).. The etiological agent for COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It causes pneumonia, with symptoms ranging from mild to deadly. SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans can cause an acute inflammatory response (cytokine storm) and respiratory failure. the routes of human-to-human transmission of corona virus are through airborne droplets, touching or coming in contact with an infected person or a contaminated surface.. SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans can cause an acute inflammatory response (cytokine storm) and respiratory failure. the routes of human-to-human transmission of corona virus are through airborne droplets, touching or coming in contact with an infected person or a contaminated surface. Virus-containing airborne droplets
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