Knowledge and therapeutic approach of Iranian dentists toward COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: Dental services are a hotspot for viral transmission. Dentists must have complete knowledge about the disease and quick access to information to combat this transmission. To prevent COVID-19 viral spreading through dental practices, dentists must be well-versed in disease and infection control measures. As a result, this study aimed to assess the knowledge of Iranian dentists on the Covid-19 pandemic. Materials & Methods: The present study was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey. A modified questionnaire of a perused one was prepared, the validity of which was confirmed, and the reliability was accepted by Cronbach’s alpha test (0.86). This questionnaire was completed by133Iranian dentists and included six components: consent to participate in research, demographic information, knowledge, infection control, vaccination, and therapeutic approach. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman rank correlation coefficients, and P<0.05 was considered the level of significance. Results: Iranian dentists are shown to have proper knowledge, but only 21.7% of participants received infection control courses; moreover, only 47% of them knew the accurate incubation period of the Virus. Dentists working in Academic clinics took more preventive measures than those working in private clinics (P value=0.023). Conclusion: It is recommended that health care authorities ensure that dentists receive organized information and guidelines.

Keywords

• covid-19
• dentists
• infection control
• knowledge
• surveys and questionnaires