Awareness and knowledge of undergraduate dental students about the signs and symptoms of Corona viral infection (COVID-19), and the required infection control measures to prevent its spread

Abstract

Background Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is considered a highly contagious disease with flu-like symptoms and causing relatively high level of death. It can be transmitted from a person to another through droplets and that makes the dentists at high risk of infection. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to assess the awareness and knowledge of dental students about the signs and symptoms of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and to evaluate their awareness about the required infection control measures during the dental treatment to control the spread of the disease. A questionnaire was formed using Google forms and distributed among dental students and interns in different universities in Cairo, Egypt. Questions were about signs and symptoms of COVID-19, attitude of the dentists toward dental treatment of suspected patients and the required personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control measures at the dental clinic. Results The majority of the participants strongly agreed/agreed that COVID-19 is a highly dangerous disease, Participants reported that the most common symptom is difficulty in breathing (89.4%) followed by fever (84.4%). Face shield was the most recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) during dental treatment (98.6%) followed by disposable gown (96.3%). The majority of participants (84.8%) recommended using 70% ethyl alcohol as the first method to disinfect surfaces in between dental visits, followed by sodium hypochlorite. Conclusions Dental students and interns in Cairo, Egypt, have good knowledge and awareness about COVID-19 and the necessary precautions required to provide adequate dental treatment for the patients during the pandemic COVID-19; however, the importance of infection control should be highlighted for both clinical and preclinical dental students, to provide safe dental treatment to the patients as well as protection of the dentists and healthcare workers.

Impact of COVID-19 on dental education- a scoping review

“…Protecting the health of students and staff and social distance [ 19 , 66 ]; proper observance of PTT standard [ 42 ]; screening of patients by telephone interview before their referral to the dental school clinic [ 48 , 68 ]; continuous monitoring of staff and students, changing clothes with clean clothes when leaving school to prevent transmission of the disease to family members [ 68 ]; face shield usage, using 70% ethyl alcohol and sodium hypochlorite to disinfect surfaces between each dental visit, using rubber-dam to reduce virus transmission, using hand tools in cases of emergency treatment [ 69 ]; preoperative anti-microbial mouth rinse [ 70 ]; booking appointments for online counseling by patients [ 58 ]; and using extra oral radiographs, creating a digital platform related to the faculty to allow sending images, remote diagnosis, reviewing the results and discussing clinical cases with students [ 38 ].…”

Self-Reported Belief, Perceptions, Practice Of Dental Professionals During COVID-19 Pandemic In Chennai: A Cross Sectional Survey

“…The most used protective equipment were sterile gloves followed by sterile gowns in this current study. Other studies have stated face shield, disposable gowns to be the most recommended PPEs [26]. The current study has certain limita-tions since this is a voluntary poll, and comments are solely based on personal views and expectations and the cross sectional nature of the study.…”

Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health and Professional Psychomotor Skills of Dental Students

“…This study shows most participants agreed about using hand sanitisation more frequently while at the dental clinic. Findings from another study 35 stated that the majority of participants recommended using disinfectants regularly between dental visits. The majority of our study participants also asked patients about fever, cough, or recent travel history during regular checkups at dental clinics.…”