ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: In Saudi Arabia, more than 100, 000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported, and more than 4,000 in Al Hofuf to date. Dental healthcare personnel are at a higher risk of COVID-19 due to their exposure to saliva, blood, and aerosol/droplet during their daily practice. Their perceptions of COVID-19 drive their behaviors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey to assess COVID-19 related perceptions and possible disparities between them. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science, version 23 (IBM SPSS). Descriptive analyses were performed using frequencies and percentages for categorical variables, mean and (± SD) for numerical variables. Bivariate analyses were assessed using t-test and one-way ANOVA, with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: With a response of 75% (150), results showed that there were perceptional disparities: students and technical staff perceived more barriers to preventive measures compared to faculties with a mean difference of (-0.145 SD ± 0.580, p = 0.802, CI -1.29 / 1.00 and -2.433, SD ± 0.94, p = 0.010), respectively. This was also shown in threat perception with a mean difference of (2.525, SE ± 0.917, CI 0.71/4.34, p = 0. 0.007). Students perceived more threat than clerks did with a mean difference of (1.281, SE ± 0.569, CI - 0.16 / 2.41, p = 0.026), while clerks perceived less threat than the technical staff with a mean difference of (-2.790, SE ± 0.860, CI -4.49 /-1.09, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There was a clear disparity in the perceptions among the different categories of participants. More emphasis on the training and preparedness of the dental healthcare personnel is required.
