Knowledge of dentists, dental auxiliaries, and students regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional survey.
BMC Oral Health
; 20(1): 363, 2020 12 21.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-992473
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
This study aimed to assess the knowledge of dental professionals in Saudi Arabia regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).METHODS:
A questionnaire was developed to assess various dental professionals from both governmental and private sectors through online and social media outlets.RESULTS:
A total of 1,033 questionnaires were collected (273 dental students, 193 dental auxiliary personnel, 544 dentists). In all, 63.4% of the respondents worked in hospitals. Of all the respondents, 44.9%, 33.4%, and 21.7% worked in governmental clinics, academia, and the private sector, respectively. Overall knowledge of the incubation period and route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was consistent across all dental professions. Knowledge of hand-soap cleaning time was significantly different among dental professionals (p < 0.001). Dental professionals displayed significant disagreement on the survival of SARS-CoV-2 outside the host (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 75.1% of the respondents were reluctant to treat a suspected COVID-19 patient, and 92% of the participants believed that the mode of transmission was droplet inhalation. Fever, coughing, and shortness of breath were identified as the most common symptoms of COVID-19. Most standard methods of prevention in the dental office were selected by at least 50% of the participants.CONCLUSIONS:
Dental professionals seem to be consistent regarding their knowledge of the incubation period of SARS-CoV-2. However, knowledge of viral survivability and recommended hand-soap washing time was significantly variable among the professionals. A high degree of apprehension toward suspected COVID-19 patients existed among all dental professionals. Pandemic-awareness campaigns are essential among healthcare providers.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pandemics
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
BMC Oral Health
Journal subject:
Dentistry
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12903-020-01361-7
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