Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Covid-19 Pandemic among Dental Practitioners of India: A Questionnaire-based Survey
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37506/ijfmt.v15i2.14959Keywords:
SARS-CoV-2, Covid-19, Dental Practitioners, awarenessAbstract
Background- Owing to high viral load in saliva, dental practitioners are not only susceptible for
exposure during Covid-19 outbreak but also post pandemic era. During the period of evolving facts and
recommendations of WHO for maintaining precautions this study is an effort to understand the preparedness
of dental practitioners to resume their practice.
Objectives- The objective of this study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice of dental
practitioners regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.
Methods- This cross-sectional study was conducted among dental practitioners of India through an online
questionnaire-based survey to collect data. The questionnaire was divided into sections containing structured
multiple-choice questions about the knowledge, attitude and practice of dental practitioners.
Result- Upon analyzing 311 responses it has been observed that majority of dental practitioners were
aware of common symptoms of Covid-19 and about the modes of transmission of the disease. They possess
adequate knowledge about use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with 88.4 % suggesting to use
it while performing aerosol generating procedure. Their awareness about a Covid-19 patient becoming
noninfectious is inadequate with only 10% reporting 30 days. Attitude and practice of dental practitioners
regarding Covid-19 were stratified on the basis of years of practice.
Conclusions -Dental practitioners possess adequate knowledge about standard precaution protocol although
they are less aware about transmission-based precaution specific to Covid-19 situation. This study attempts to
highlight some facts about Covid-19 which will enlighten the dental practitioners before resuming practice.
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