Risk perception and readiness of dental students to treat patients amid COVID‐19: Implication for dental education

Alawia, Ruwaa; Riad, Abanoub; Kateeb, Elham

doi:10.1111/odi.13593

Cited by 22 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For a better understanding of the role of perceived knowledge in vaccine acceptance, the perceived knowledge level was found to be associated with increased awareness about the risk/benefit ratio of COVID-19 vaccination (U = 1,719,706.5; p < 0.01), a higher level of readiness to take new vaccines (U = 1,773,557; p < 0.01), and a lower level of misconception about immunization (U = 2,808,567; p = 0.576). Therefore, the results of this study call for urgent and further implementation of the epidemiology of infectious diseases education and vaccination trends within undergraduate dental curricula for better preparation of dental students for future outbreaks [70][71][72][73].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Global Prevalence and Drivers of Dental Students’ COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Riad

Abdulqader²,

Morgado

et al. 2021

Vaccines

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Acceleration of mass vaccination strategies is the only pathway to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare professionals and students have a key role in shaping public opinion about vaccines. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of dental students globally towards COVID-19 vaccines and explore the potential drivers for students’ acceptance levels. Methods: A global cross-sectional study was carried out in February 2021 using an online questionnaire. The study was liaised by the scientific committee of the International Association of Dental Students (IADS), and data were collected through the national and local coordinators of IADS member organizations. The dependent variable was the willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine, and the independent variables included demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related experience, and the drivers of COVID-19 vaccine-related attitude suggested by the WHO SAGE. Results: A total of 6639 students from 22 countries, representing all world regions, responded to the questionnaire properly. Their mean age was 22.1 ± 2.8 (17–40) years, and the majority were females (70.5%), in clinical years (66.8%), and from upper-middle-income economies (45.7%). In general, 22.5% of dental students worldwide were hesitant, and 13.9% rejected COVID-19 vaccines. The students in low- and lower-middle-income (LLMI) economies had significantly higher levels of vaccine hesitancy compared to their peers in upper-middle- and high-income (UMHI) economies (30.4% vs. 19.8%; p < 0.01). Conclusions: The global acceptance level of dental students for COVID-19 vaccines was suboptimal, and their worrisome level of vaccine hesitancy was influenced by the socioeconomic context where the dental students live and study. The media and social media, public figures, insufficient knowledge about vaccines, and mistrust of governments and the pharmaceutical industry were barriers to vaccination. The findings of this study call for further implementation of epidemiology (infectious diseases) education within undergraduate dental curricula.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Global Prevalence and Drivers of Dental Students’ COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Riad

Abdulqader²,

Morgado

et al. 2021

Vaccines

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…University students are supposed to retain the highest levels of health literacy, which is defined as "the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others", within their local Vaccines 2021, 9, 948. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9090948 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines communities where they are perceived as future opinion leaders [3]. Therefore, their healthrelated beliefs and attitudes had been a topic of interest for epidemiology and public health researchers [4][5][6][7][8]. The health literacy of university students can be influenced by several socio-economic factors, e.g., gender, household income, field of study (as healthcare vs. non-healthcare related discipline), etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Czech University Students: National Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: university students are believed to retain the highest levels of health literacy. They are perceived as the opinion leaders within their communities; therefore, their health-related beliefs and attitudes are deemed important for public health campaigns. This study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy drivers among university students in the Czech Republic. Methods: a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was carried out in the weeks before the unrestricted vaccine deployment to Czech adults. The questionnaire had 21 multiple-choice items stratified in 4 categories; demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related anamnesis and influenza vaccine experience, attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination, and the possible drivers of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy suggested by the WHO-SAGE. Results: out of the 1351 included students, 66.8% were females, 84.5% were Czech nationals, and 40.6% enrolled in healthcare programs. The overall COVID-19 vaccine acceptance level was 73.3%, 19.3% of participants were vaccine-resistant, and only 7.4% were vaccine-hesitant. Trust in the pharmaceutical industry, trust in healthcare providers, and perceived knowledge sufficiency predicted higher odds of vaccine acceptance. In contrast, media and social media, personal beliefs, immunity misconception, previous COVID-19 infection, and suspicions about novel vaccines and the local availability predicted higher odds of vaccine hesitancy. Conclusions: The findings of this study predict a fair probability to achieve community immunity (herd immunity) among the target population group. The primary prevention strategies in the Czech Republic need to be culturally sensitive and inclusive for foreign nationals. As one-quarter of the participating students are dependent on vaccine safety data, this study findings support the call for independent studies evaluating the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines.

show abstract

“…Dental professionals, including dental students in clinical years, usually work in close proximity to patients using procedures that expose them to high levels of aerosols, droplets, and oral fluids. This may cause additional risks of viral exposure and transmission from infected patients to the dental team, and vice versa, and subsequently to other patients, if appropriate infection control measures are not undertaken [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. The previous reports indicated that dentistry was the most at-risk profession for SARS-CoV-2 compared to other various occupations [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Willingness to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine: Cross-Sectional Study of Palestinian Dental Students

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The overarching aim of this study was to assess the predictors related to the willingness of Palestinian dental students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a universal sample of dental students in the Palestinian territories. Willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine was related to the following factors: Demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related experiences, beliefs and knowledge about the vaccine, attitudes toward vaccinations in general, and other factors outlined by the WHO SAGE Vaccination Hesitancy Questionnaire. Four hundred and seventeen students completed the questionnaire (response rate = 41.7%). In general, 57.8% (n = 241) were willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine when it became available to them, 27% (n = 114) were hesitant, and 14.9% (n = 62) were not willing to get vaccinated. The final regression model explained 46% of the variation in the willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as follows: Attitudes towards new vaccines (β = 6.23, p < 0.001), believing in a favorable risk–benefit ratio (β = 5.64, p < 0.001), trust in the pharmaceutical industry (β = 5.92, p = 0.001), believing that natural immunity is better than being vaccinated (β = −4.24, p < 0.001), and having enough information about the vaccine (β = 4.12, p < 0.001). Adequate information about vaccines, their risk–benefit ratios, and natural and acquired immunity are important to build trust and favorable attitudes towards vaccines among future dentists.

show abstract

Risk perception and readiness of dental students to treat patients amid COVID‐19: Implication for dental education

Cited by 22 publications

References 5 publications

Global Prevalence and Drivers of Dental Students’ COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Global Prevalence and Drivers of Dental Students’ COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Prevalence and Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Czech University Students: National Cross-Sectional Study

Predictors of Willingness to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine: Cross-Sectional Study of Palestinian Dental Students

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About