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

Pradeep Koppolu, Syed Bilal Tanvir, Amara Swapna Lingam, Muhammad Zakir Noor, Ali Barakat, Mohammed Saleh Alwahibi, Hesham Almoallim, Ali Aqerban, Mohammed Noushad, Fayez Hussain Niazi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

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.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)91-97
Number of pages7
JournalAnnals of African Medicine
Volume21
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2022
Externally publishedYes

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