Karaaslan Fatih, Dikilitaş Ahu, Aydin Esra Özge
Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Periodontology, Usak, Turkey
Summary
Background/Aim: Dental care settings invariably carry the risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection because dental practice involves face-to-face communication with patients and the generation of large amounts of aerosol and droplets mixed with patients’ saliva. Since droplet and aerosol transmission are the most important concerns in dental clinics, informing future dentists about pandemic diseases at the undergraduate stage is important. In this context, the aim of this study was to compare the knowledge and attitudes of clinical and preclinical dental students regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: 159 preclinical and 130 clinical dental students were included in this cross sectional study. The researchers developed a closed-ended questionnaire with the help of the existing literature. The questionnaire contained 17 questions about the knowledge and attitudes of dental students regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Clinical students feel significantly more threatened with exposure to COVID-19 infection than preclinical students (p<0.05, chi-square test). The proportion of students who do not want to treat an individual who has had a COVID-19 infection and recovered is statistically higher in clinical students (p<0.05, chi-square test). The proportion of students who think that using protective equipment during dental practice will not protect them against COVID-19 infection is statistically higher in clinical students (p<0.05, chi-square test). Conclusions: More education and training courses are need in order to improve students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding newly emerging pandemic diseases.
Keywords: COVID-19; dental students; pandemic
Reference
Alzahem, A.M., van der Molen, H.T., Alaujan, A.H., Schmidt, H.G., Zamakhshary, M.H. (2011) Stress amongst dental students: A systematic review. Eur J Dent Educ, 15(1): 8-18
Bedford, J., Enria, D., Giesecke, J., Heymann, D.L., Ihekweazu, C., Kobinger, G., Lane, H. C., Memish, Z., Oh, M., Sall, A.A., Schuchat, A., Ungchusak, K., Wieler, L.H. (2020) COVID-19: Towards controlling of a pandemic. Lancet, 395(10229): 1015-1018
Chan, J.F., Yuan, S., Kok, K., To, K.K., Chu, H.K., Yang, J., Xing, F., Liu, J., Yip, C.C., Poon, R.W., Tsoi, H., Lo, S.K., Chan, K.F., Poon, V.K., Chan, W.F. (2020) A familial cluster of pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus indicating person-to-person transmission: A study of a family cluster. Lancet, 395(10223): 514-523
Chang, D., Xu, H., Rebaza, A., Sharma, L., dela Cruz, C.S. (2020) Protecting health-care workers from subclinical coronavirus infection. Lancet Respir Med, 8(3): e13
Chen, J. (2020) Pathogenicity and transmissibility of 2019-nCoV: A quick overview and comparison with other emerging viruses. Microbes Infect, 22(2): 69-71
11
Chen, N., Zhou, M., Dong, X., Qu, J., Gong, F., Han, Y., Qiu, Y., Wang, J., Liu, Y., Wei, Y., Xia, J., Yu, T., Zhang, X., Zhang, L. (2020) Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: A descriptive study. Lancet, 395(10223): 507-513
de Wit, E., van Doremalen, N., Falzarano, D., Munster, V.J. (2016) SARS and MERS: Recent insights into emerging coronaviruses. Nat Rev Microbiol, 14(8): 523-534
del Rio, C., Malani, P.N. (in press) COVID-19: New insights on a rapidly changing epidemic. JAMA
Gambhir, R.S., Pannu, P.R., Nanda, T., Arora, G., Kaur, A. (2016) Knowledge and awareness regarding swine-influenza A (H1N1) virus infection among dental professionals in India: A systematic review. J Clin Diagn Res, 10:10-13
Goulia, P., Mantas, C., Dimitroula, D., Mantis, D., Hyphantis, T. (2010) General hospital staff worries, perceived sufficiency of information and associated psychological distress during the A/H1N1 influenza pandemic. BMC Infect Dis, 10(1): 322-322
Holshue, M.L., Debolt, C., Lindquist, S., Lofy, K.H., Wiesman, J., Bruce, H., Spitters, C., Ericson, K., Wilkerson, S., Tural, A., Diaz, G., Cohn, A., Fox, L., Patel, A., Gerber, S.I., Kim, L. (2020) First case of 2019 novel coronavirus in the United States. N Engl J Med, 382(10): 929-936
Imai, T., Takahashi, K., Hoshuyama, T., Hasegawa, N., Lim, M.-K., Koh, D. (2005) SARS risk perceptions in healthcare workers, Japan. Emerg Infect Dis, 11:404-410
Kamate, S.K., Agrawal, A., Chaudhary, H., Singh, K., Mishra, P., Asawa, K. (2010) Public knowledge, attitude and behavioural changes in an Indian population during the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak. J Infect Dev Ctries, 4(01): 007-014
Kampf, G., Todt, D., Pfaender, S., Steinmann, E. (2020) Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents. J Hosp Infect, 104(3): 246-251
Kristiansen, I.S., Halvorsen, P.A., Gyrd-Hansen, D. (2007) Influenza pandemic: Perception of risk and individual precautions in a general population: Cross sectional study. BMC Public Health, 7(1): 48-48
Lai, C., Shih, T., Ko, W., Tang, H., Hsueh, P. (in press) Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19): The epidemic and the challenges. Int J Antimicrob Agents
Liu, B.F., Kim, S. (2011) How organizations framed the 2009 H1N1 pandemic via social and traditional media: Implications for U.S. health communicators. Public Relat Rev, 37(3): 233-244
Mahase, E. (2020) Coronavirus: Covid-19 has killed more people than SARS and MERS combined, despite lower case fatality rate. Br Med J, 368: 641
Marshall, P.D. (2020) Celebrity, politics, and new media: An essay on the implications of pandemic fame and persona. Int J Polit Cult Soc, 33(1): 89-104
Meng, L., Hua, F., Bian, Z. (in press) Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Emerging and future challenges for dental and oral medicine. J Dent Res
Peng, X., Xu, X., Li, Y., Cheng, L., Zhou, X., Ren, B. (2020) Transmission routes of 2019-nCoV and controls in dental practice. Int J Oral Sci, 12(1): 1-6
Phelan, A.L., Katz, R., Gostin, L.O. (2020) The novel coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China: Challenges for global health governance. JAMA, 323 (8): 709-10
Phillips, J., Berge, Z.L. (2009) Second life for dental education. J Dent Educ, 73(11): 1260-1264
Rothan, H.A., Byrareddy, S.N. (in press) The epidemiology and pathogenesis of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. J Autoimmun
Rothe, C., Schunk, M., Sothmann, P., Bretzel, G., Froeschl, G., Wallrauch, C., Zimmer, T., Thiel, V., Janke, C., Guggemos, W., Seilmaier, M., Drosten, C., Vollmar, P., Zwirglmaier, K. (2020) Transmission of 2019-nCoV infection from an asymptomatic contact in Germany. N Engl J Med, 382(10): 970-971
Sabino-Silva, R., Jardim, A.C.G., Siqueira, W.L. (2020) Coronavirus COVID-19 impacts to dentistry and potential salivary diagnosis. Clin Oral Investig, 24(4): 1619-1621
Samaranayake, L.P., Peiris, M. (2004) Severe acute respiratory syndrome and dentistry: A retrospective view. J Am Dent Assoc, 135(9): 1292-1302
Smith, T.A., Raybould, T.P., Hardison, J.D. (1998) A distance learning program in advanced general dentistry. J Dent Educ, 62(12): 975-984
Wang, J., Zhou, M., Liu, F. (in press) Exploring the reasons for healthcare workers infected with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. J Hosp Infect
World Health Organization (2020) Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). situation report – 51, https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200311-sitrep-51-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=1ba62e57_10, March 11
World Health Organization (2020) Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). situation report – 59, https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200319-sitrep-59-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=c3dcdef9_2, 19 March
12
Wu, Z., Mcgoogan, J.M. (in press) Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China: Summary of a report of 72 314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA
Balkan Journal of Dental Medicine, 2020, vol. 24, br. 3, str. 127-133