Dentists’ Perception and Awareness Towards COVID-19 and Infection Control: Cross-sectional Study Among a Sample of Egyptian Dentists
Doaa Adel-Khattab1, Amira Mohammad Samy2 Doaa Adel-Khattab1, Amira Mohammad Samy2, Marwa Emam3 and
Robert A Horowitz4*
1Department of Oral Medicine, Periodontology and Diagnosis, Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
2Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Badr University, Cairo, Egypt
3Oral Surgery, Periodontology and Implant Dentistry, The NYU College of Dentistry, New York, NY, USA
*Corresponding Author: Robert A Horowitz, Clinical Assistant Professor, Oral Surgery, Periodontology and Implant Dentistry, The NYU College of Dentistry, New York, NY, USA.
Received: November 22, 2021; Published: January 06, 2022
Abstract
Background: Despite the convenience of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Dental Association (ADA) and WHO guidelines and recommendations, some dentists and dental assistants may have a lack of knowledge of the requirements of COVID-19 control. This is may be due to the high flow rate of patients in some public and private clinics with reduced dental fees. This cross sectional evaluated awareness level, perception and attitude regarding COVID-19 among Egyptian dentists.
Methods: The study population was dentists who worked in universities, private clinics, hospitals and health centers in Egypt. An online questionnaire composed of 35 questions sent to a sample of Egyptian dentists between April and May 2020. The questionnaire was comprised of a series of questions about dentists’ demographic characteristics, their awareness of COVID-19, infection control measures needed to limit the infection and spread of COVID-19.
Results: 413 dentists participated in this study, 232 females and 181 males, one third of the participants were general dentists and around half of the participants had a private practice. 31.8% of the participants took the information about COVID-19 from social media and 26% read CDC and ADA guidelines. Almost all, 96% of the dentists answered the symptoms that COVID-19 infection presents with a dry cough and fever with 2-14 days is the incubation period. Half of the participants considered COVID-19 an airborne infection. Relative to that, 1-3 meters is the optimum social distancing, and human behavior only can influence COVID-19 infection spread. During this time period, 86% of dentists worked only emergencies cases, 72% considered dental emergency as the combined symptoms of swelling, trauma and severe pain, 84% of the participants considered disposable gown, eye protection, N95/ KN 95 mask and gloves as effective personnel protective equipment during dental treatment.
Conclusions: Egyptian dentists were aware of COVID-19 symptoms, mode of transmission, infection control, and protective measures in dental clinics.
Keywords: COVID-19; Infection Control; Dental Practice; Survey Research
References
- World Health Organization (WHO). “Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic” (2020).
- Yu X and Yang R. “COVID-19 transmission through asymptomatic carriers is a challenge to containment”. Influenza Other Respir Viruses 14 (2020): 474-475.
- Hu Z., et al. “Clinical characteristics of 24 asymptomatic infections with COVID-19 screened among close contacts in Nanjing”. Science China Life Sciences 63 (2020): 706-711.
- Ibrahim NK., et al. “Cross-infection and infection control in dentistry: knowledge, attitude and practice of patients attended dental clinics in King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia”. Journal of Infection and Public Health 10 (2017): 438-445.
- Khader Y., et al. “Dentists’ awareness, perception and attitude regarding COVID19 and infection control: cross sectional study among Jordanian dentists”. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance 6 (2020): e18798.
- Sabino-Silva R., et al. “Coronavirus COVID-19 impacts to dentistry and potential salivary diagnosis”. The journal Clinical Oral Investigations 24 (2020): 1619-1621.
- Xu J., et al. “Salivary Glands: Potential Reservoirs for COVID-19 Asymptomatic Infection”. Journal of Dental Research 99 (2020): 989.
- Li Y., et al. “Saliva is a non-negligible factor in the spread of COVID-19”. Molecular Oral Microbiology 35 (2020): 141-145.
- Peng X., et al. “Transmission routes of 2019-nCoV and controls in dental practice”. International Journal of Oral Science 12 (2020): 9.
- Wong J., et al. “Preparing for a COVID-19 pandemic: a review of operating room outbreak response measures in a large tertiary hospital in Singapore”. Se préparer pour la pandémie de COVID-19: revue des moyens déployés dans un bloc opératoire d’un grand hôpital tertiaire au Singapour”. The Canadian Journal of Anesthesia 67 (2020): 732-745.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. C”DC recommendation. postpone non-urgent dental procedures, surgeries, and visits” (2020).
- The American Dental Association. “Coronavirus frequently asked questions” (2020).
- World Health Organization (2020) Clinical management of severe acute respiratory infection when COVID-19 is suspected.
- Mehtar S., et al. “Infection control practices in public dental care services: findings from one South African Province”. Journal of Hospital Infection 66 (2007): 65-70.
- Matsuda JK., et al. “The assessment of infection control in dental practices in the municipality o São Paulo”. The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases 15 (2011): 45-51.
- Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings. MMWR:52 (RR-17) (2003).
- Huang C., et al. “Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China”. Lancet 395 (2020): 497-506.
- Ge Z., et al. “Possible aerosol transmission of COVID-19 and special precautions in dentistry”. Journal of Zhejiang University Science A 21 (2020):361-368.
- Wax RS sand Christian MD. “Practical recommendations for critical care and anesthesiology teams caring for novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) patients. Journal of Anesthesia/Journal Canadien D’Anesthésie (2020).
- Van Doremalen N., et al. “Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. N”. The New England Journal of Medicine 382 (2020): 1564-1567.
- Fiorillo L., et al. “COVID-19 Surface Persistence: A Recent Data Summary and Its Importance for Medical and Dental Settings”. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17 (2020): 3132.
- Ma Y., et al. “Effects of temperature variation and humidity on the death of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China”. Science of the Total Environment 734 (2020): 138226.
- Backer J., et al. “Incubation period of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infections among travellers from Wuhan, China, 20-28 January 2020”. Eurosurveillance 25 (2020).
- Long C., et al. “Diagnosis of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): rRT-PCR or CT?” European Journal of Radiology 126 (2020).
- Samaranayake LP., et al. “The efficacy of rubber dam isolation in reducing atmospheric bacterial contamination”. ASDC Journal of Dentistry for Children 56 (1989): 442-444.
- Vandenberghe B., et al. “Modern dental imaging: a review of the current technology and clinical applications in dental practice”. European Radiology 20 (2010): 2637-2655.
- Chigurupati R., et al. “Considerations for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in COVID-19 era: Can we sustain the solutions to keep our patients and healthcare personnel safe?” Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 78 (2020): 1241-1256.
Citation
Copyright