KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF DENTISTRY PATIENTS AND THEIR RELATIVES ABOUT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this cross-sectional survey was to investigate the attitudes, perceptions, awareness, and knowledge of dental patients and their relatives through concrete questions about behavior and prediction patterns among the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Material and Methods: The questionnaire was administered face-to-face to 292 patients and their relatives who applied to the dental hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were run through univariate and multivariable regression analyses. Survey variables include demographics, comorbidities, compliance with protective measures, prediction of disease severity in case of coronavirus infection, hospital admission behaviors, the presence of coronavirus infection in the relative and the severity of the disease experienced by the relative and the risk of transmission in dentistry interventions during the pandemic.Results: Participants showed high compliance with the use of masks in the proper area (77.4%). Generally, women's attitudes, knowledge, and perception levels were higher than men during the pandemic. Participants in the elderly age group (55-85 years) and with comorbidities predicted that they would get more seriously ill in case of coronavirus infection, but their knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and perception levels were lower than younger age groups. It was revealed that the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the participants with low education levels and existing comorbidities were lower in general than high educated and non-comorbid participants.Conclusion: In order to ensure full compliance with the protective measures, awareness and informative campaigns should primarily aim to inform male, low educated, comorbid, and elderly individuals.