Abstract
Objective: Healthcare workers in general are at a high risk of potential infections with COVID-19, especially those who work with aerosol generating procedures. Dentists fall in this category, as not only do they operate with aerosol generating procedures but also operate within a face-to-face contact area. Methods: A structured self-administered questionnaire was developed at Najran University and provided to the participants for data collection. The data collected included information on risk perception and incorporation of measures for protection against COVID-19 to gauge the attitude of dentists during this period. Also, clinical implementation of various protective measures was reviewed. Results: Of the n = 322 dentists that answered the questions, 50% were general dentists and 28.9% were dentists working at specialist clinics, while the remaining 21.1% of dentists were employed in academic institutions. Among the newer additions to the clinic, 36.3% of dentists answered that they had added atomizers to their practices, followed by 26.4% of dentists that had incorporated the use of UV lamps for sterilization. We found that 18.9% dentists were using HEPA filters in their clinics, while 9.9% of dentists were making use of fumigation devices to control the risk of infection. One-way ANOVA was also carried out to demonstrate that there was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.049) between groups of dentists utilizing HEPA filters, UV lamps, atomizers, and fumigation devices to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV2 across their workplaces. Conclusion: Dentists are aware of recently updated knowledge about the modes of transmission of COVID-19 and the recommended infection control measures in dental settings. A better understanding of the situation and methods to prevent it will ensure that the dental community is able to provide healthcare services to patients during the pandemic.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic originated in Wuhan in December 2019 and was declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization in the year 2020 [1]
Healthcare workers in general are at a high risk of potential infections with COVID-19, especially those who work with aerosol-generating procedures
Data was collected from participating dentists regarding their clinical protective practices during the pandemic and an effort was made to compile all of the results and correlate them with findings from other evidence-based studies
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic originated in Wuhan in December 2019 and was declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization in the year 2020 [1]. It was identified in the bronchoalveolar fluid samples from patients suffering from pneumonial infection and it was designated the name: the novel coronavirus. Healthcare workers in general are at a high risk of potential infections with COVID-19, especially those who work with aerosol-generating procedures Dentists fall in this category, as do they operate with aerosol-generating procedures and operate within a face-to-face contact area (0.5 m) [3]
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