Dental students and COVID 19: An online multinational survey on perception and knowledge

Background: Coronavirus is an emerging respiratory pathogen that causes coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), as per the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Objective: This study aimed to assess the state of awareness and extent of knowledge about COVID-19 among dental students from In...

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Published in:Annals of African medicine 2022-01, Vol.21 (1), p.91-97, Article 91
Main Authors: Koppolu, Pradeep, Tanvir, Syed, Lingam, Amara, Noor, Muhammad, Barakat, Ali, Alwahibi, Mohammed, Almoallim, Hesham, Aqerban, Ali, Noushad, Mohammed, Niazi, Fayez
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dental schools
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Male
Original
Perception
Students
Students, Dental
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Background: Coronavirus is an emerging respiratory pathogen that causes coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), as per the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Objective: This study aimed to assess the state of awareness and extent of knowledge about COVID-19 among dental students from India, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: The present descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 872 participants from December 2020 to January 2021. Random sampling was performed using an electronic questionnaire. One-way analysis of variance and independent sample t-test were performed to assess and compare the mean knowledge score between different demographic data. Results: Approximately 60% (n = 520) of the responders were women and 40% responders were men (n = 352). The responders were from Saudi Arabia (36.9%; n = 322), India (34.2%; n = 298), and Pakistan (28.8%; n = 252). The difference within the subgroups was statistically nonsignificant (P > 0.05), indicating that dental students of all subparameters possessed equal knowledge on COVID-19. Conclusions: Dental students possess sufficient knowledge about COVID-19, qualifying them at least to work in a medical ward. However, more emphasis must be placed on infection prevention and control policies such as hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, and pre- and postexposure prophylaxis.
ISSN:1596-3519
0975-5764
DOI:10.4103/aam.aam_149_21