Has COVID-19 Improved Public Awareness on Oral Hygiene?

Sorooshian, Shahryar; Kumar, S. Kishore

doi:10.18502/ijph.v50i3.5626

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Another study discussed whether COVID-19 has improved public awareness based on information available on Google Trends [22]. It found that following the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, the general public appeared to be more concerned about their dental hygiene, which aligns with our findings [22]. A study conducted in the United States targeted adolescents and young adults to examine their perspectives on dental health and oral hygiene practices [23]; 44% of the survey participants stated that COVID-19 affected their oral health [23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of COVID-19 Quarantine Measures on Oral Hygiene Practices Among the General Public in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Kinda,

Alghanim,

Aldhafayan

et al. 2023

Cureus

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Background and objectiveCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is most commonly associated with respiratory symptoms, which can vary from one individual to another. In addition, many patients can recover from this condition without undergoing any special treatment plan. In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and, soon after, Saudi Arabia put in place strict quarantine measures in all cities across the country to protect its citizens from the spread of COVID-19. The key objective of the quarantine program was to prevent infectious transmission from individuals who were potentially incubating the virus. Quarantine can have a significant psychological impact on human lives. With their freedom restricted and everyday life affected, people can experience behavioral changes. If people are better informed regarding such unusual situations and their effects on their oral and general health, it could go a long way in motivating them to adopt healthy practices during quarantine periods. In light of this, the aim of this cross-sectional survey was to assess the impact of quarantine on oral hygiene practices among the general public living in Riyadh City. The effect of quarantine on any changes in oral health and hygiene was also assessed. MethodologyA cross-sectional analytical study was carried out among 570 adult participants from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, who were aged 20 years and above. The data were collected using an online, self-administered, and structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 18 questions divided into two sections: the first part comprised questions related to demographic details and the second part consisted of questions related to oral hygiene practices and oral health. ResultsThe results of the survey showed that the quarantine had affected oral hygiene practices positively by increasing the awareness of the general public about hygiene practices. ConclusionsCOVID-19 has affected our lives in various ways. Based on our findings in this study, the general population in Riyadh displayed an improvement in awareness and care about their general and oral hygiene, especially those in the age group of 20-30 years. Also, the rate of toothbrushing witnessed a positive effect during the pandemic. Some parents focused more on their children's oral hygiene. These findings may well be attributed to the increased awareness gained through social media platforms and partly due to the fear of the potential unavailability of dental facilities during the quarantine period.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of COVID-19 Quarantine Measures on Oral Hygiene Practices Among the General Public in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Kinda,

Alghanim,

Aldhafayan

et al. 2023

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Since data collection, there has been an unprecedented global health pandemic with older adults showing greater vulnerability to the virus (Wang et al, 2020). The increased spotlight on health due to the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the general public’s motivation to seek out public health information and improve health-related behaviours (Jun et al, 2021; Sorooshian & Kumar, 2021). It would be interesting therefore to explore similar patterns in dementia knowledge since the pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk, worry and motivation: How is public knowledge of dementia shaped?

et al. 2021

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Background and Objectives Due to the concern over global rising rates of dementia, increased emphasis has been placed on understanding and moulding the public’s knowledge and awareness of the condition. There has been limited previous research into predictors of dementia knowledge; overall knowledge amongst the public is low, and it has been widely agreed that more needs to be done to raise awareness of this condition. This study seeks to solidify understanding of public dementia knowledge and introduces dementia worry, motivation to seek information and risk perception as novel concomitants of this knowledge. Research Design and Methods A convenience sample of 311 UK adults completed a survey on dementia knowledge including Alzheimer’s disease-specific questions, worry about developing dementia, motivation to seek information and perceived personal risk of getting the disease. Surveys were completed face-to-face and included both closed and open-ended questions. Results Overall dementia knowledge scores were low, achieving an average of 33% of the total possible score, with 88% of the sample scoring below 50%. Bivariate correlations were performed between dementia knowledge and key variables, revealing significant positive relationships with risk perception ( r = 0.179, p = .002), worry ( r = 0.140, p = .016) and motivation to seek information ( r = 0.139, p = .016). When knowledge was dichotomised into high and low, worry about ( p = .28) and perceived risk ( p = .19) of dementia was significantly lower for people with low knowledge scores than for people with higher dementia knowledge scores. Motivation to seek information was not significantly different between the high and low knowledge groups ( p = .071). Discussion and Implications Despite the relatively low knowledge scores, findings show a positive relationship between modifiable factors and dementia knowledge, suggesting areas to consider for both further research and publication campaigns. Further implications and limitations of this study are discussed.

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Has COVID-19 Improved Public Awareness on Oral Hygiene?

Abstract: The article's abstract is not available.

Cited by 2 publications

References 3 publications

The Impact of COVID-19 Quarantine Measures on Oral Hygiene Practices Among the General Public in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

The Impact of COVID-19 Quarantine Measures on Oral Hygiene Practices Among the General Public in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Risk, worry and motivation: How is public knowledge of dementia shaped?

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