Figure 1
![Knowledge about COVID-19 among study participants based on a scoring system. The scoring system was developed and modified based on similar previous studies [14, 15]. To assess the participants’ knowledge, 25 questions were included in the second and third parts of the questionnaire with a Yes or No response. For each correct answer, 1 point was allotted, and no points were deducted for the wrong answer. Knowledge of participants is divided into 3 categories: low (<15 points), average (16–21 points), and high (>21 points). COVID-19, Coronavirus disease.](https://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/6470688e83f1392090d68df9/j_abm-2021-0034_fig_001.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA6AP2G7AKPGM3F46V%2F20251217%2Feu-central-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20251217T053848Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEKn%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaDGV1LWNlbnRyYWwtMSJHMEUCIQDOw%2BWCBe4fvKcxFiWhiCLttbQDJ86fuaztc6dQmJQ4WAIgPHRk9ccfZ2iWZzj3R%2BuoEflB%2FvmC24eddqbk9FL8rnIqvAUIchACGgw5NjMxMzQyODk5NDAiDBSUedTKbO6oGgaFJiqZBYA%2BcQei523hqq1%2FW3yPRGdJodA7vMBp1PAN8Wk35VE%2BZ%2BOu33aIrcJxRW%2BwQnUREDFgNK7QE5mujL5OYlaVmAIumA%2FESyPIPavNSeNq6m6rhrjxLS%2B05ACjiZW5bGu8X88m6f%2BXTXAgtvT6XMYYYdnwJOasxsMUCizpij2npPB3iEmDK2%2Bb%2F1UV1qPVwA66UCZ20KBDVS035sNp0%2BPi%2FHg1XylvSdqfZcfahjRfXIbqX72X0Ff5Ik%2FHeLd6WVQSJhf8VdrKiOO0A0hxsbEYV%2BuGO%2BtmP%2B76OWrEhpGFK7wBWJUUFcYfMSgGFzwBGHp3l%2BHBKHGgYdN%2BBqmDuIGXE%2FgZN%2FXb4GBDjjT%2F15dr7iSpam3UCn8NNnZ3SMSL7OFm63PRJmMAgELlUOOP5qL6wIMQwd7ZGQ%2BW9%2FiLnPBomysVEM%2FMrVhKeGlGX4zj78bnMGifwaT%2BXKfAnuIKEDV1%2FQAOvyLZfoc%2BpgcLqJnwtRSR9313x65F3vla990ZV11841wfLZS7IJNReW7cEfHfLzKJo7ejiCSliybv%2B5bjXbMhIen2IhR%2B03YjN2ZaFYmDbSG6hybH%2BiddHwHZXX9z9%2BRJM8ELD3XBtKlo5JQI8wksrf5hw86xWWLrhvsBDYzQRMp%2FLH%2BUK12MlBPWz16cfZwXvhT5poE6V%2FEFWEFer0Rg%2FJx6DgUkZbDSDvmUetWRPmidFLcwAALi8DkOg8UxV0LlTdAFUjZFliu56%2BZSjGpib%2F%2F4epW%2FYstLhr0w2YdjTHrV6zWrfoYaqk%2FG%2F0YMbBb%2FDZtx8WiDopgFRNhyII7CnY9v0xMOboZKml19xQ5sfU7sEu7RMoA18R9islnb31u0eW0f88nkwjYMirfbzK%2Fb%2BstJsdmDE4KbMK2JiMoGOrEBliaC%2BklE0rbr2xHw0v2FK5XTXn8fCzOR0ZSaGBjvgDSIQmaeNk0bgz9fOXXUKaeKywLXhlB4AnL5%2FGbcCuFgle3LKDZnEMF4hlTXNjRV8Tr2vvm8%2B0qUkxJld9v0djSOnQN6gL267q%2FSjpwd92obbWgB7pNhp%2BDVkLG%2FAysuIDTlnjpmS75Lkd2By1bWNwjl%2BUm2HQhu%2FPsE2zMlHnNk7P%2FY8NqCrFMaH4lktizgLRY4&X-Amz-Signature=cdb427facf799f7d9bf77228fe101463da2f56f4919ebdc93b80bdd3b142c7f5&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)
Distribution of frequency according to correct responses regarding knowledge about dental practice and COVID-19 transmission
| Questions | n (%) | Total n(%) (n = 650) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UG (n = 430) | Interns (n = 100) | PG (n = 50) | Faculty (n = 70) | ||
| Would it be correct to say that special concerns are required to be addressed for patients with recent travel history? | 400 (93.0) | 85 (85) | 42 (84) | 60 (86) | 587 (90.3) |
| Can prerinsing patient's mouth with antimicrobial mouthwash or 1% hydrogen peroxide help prevent spread of infection? | 300 (69.7) | 45 (45) | 25 (50) | 55 (79) | 425 (65.3) |
| Can patients with COVID-19 spread the infection in dental clinics? | 385 (89.5) | 75 (75) | 39 (78) | 65 (93) | 564 (86.7) |
| Are you aware of the U.S. DHHS CDC hand hygiene guidelines? | 200 (46.5) | 65 (65) | 37 (74) | 55 (79) | 357 (54.9) |
| Are you aware of the WHO hand hygiene guidelines? | 230 (53.4) | 63 (63) | 32 (64) | 52 (74) | 377 (58.0) |
| Do PPE like mouth mask, gloves, gowns, and goggles help prevent the spread of COVID-19? | 410 (95.3) | 74 (74) | 42 (84) | 69 (99) | 595 (91.5) |
| Are N-95 or FFP2 masks recommended for dental procedures? | 355 (82.5) | 67 (67) | 35 (70) | 56 (80) | 513 (78.9) |
| Can washing hands with soap and water for 30 s or using 60% of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, before and after dental treatment, reduce the transmission of COVID-19 infection? | 375 (87.2) | 69 (69) | 37 (74) | 64 (91) | 545 (83.8) |
| Do you use extraoral radiography, panoramic radiography in case of emergency treatment? | 360 (83.7) | 75 (75) | 38 (76) | 68 (97) | 541 (83.2) |
| Do you ensure that additional precautions are taken while treating patients with aerosol-generating procedures (ultrasound scaler, 3-way syringe, aerator)? | 340 (79.0) | 79 (79) | 39 (78) | 58 (83) | 516 (79.3) |
| Do you use rubber dam for isolation or high-volume saliva ejector in case of emergency treatment? | 335 (77.9) | 65 (65) | 42 (84) | 61 (87) | 503 (77.3) |
Source of information about COVID-19
| Source | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| MOH | 15 |
| Social media | 29 |
| Television | 17 |
| Peer | 31 |
| Newspaper | 6 |
| Others | 2 |
Distribution of study participants by age and designation
| Sex | n (%) | Total n (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UG | Interns | PG | Faculty | ||
| Male | 200 (46.5) | 45 (45) | 35 (70) | 43 (61.4) | 323 (49.7) |
| Female | 230 (53.5) | 55 (55) | 15 (30) | 27 (38.6) | 327 (50.3) |
| Total | 430 (66.2) | 100 (15.3) | 50 (7.6) | 70 (10.7) | 650 (100) |
Distribution of frequency of correct responses to questions concerning attitude regarding COVID-19 transmission in dental practice
| Questions | n (%) | Total n(%) (n = 650) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UG (n = 430) | Interns (n = 100) | PG (n = 50) | Faculty (n = 70) | ||
| Should dental health workers inform themselves with information regarding COVID-19? | 405 (94.1) | 85 (85) | 45 (90) | 70 (100) | 605 (93.0) |
| Do you agree that information regarding COVID-19 should be disseminated among your peers and other dental health care workers? | 398 (92.5) | 97 (97) | 48 (96) | 70 (100) | 613 (94.3) |
| Do you agree that an asymptomatic patient is not infected by COVID-19? | 365 (84.8) | 75 (75) | 43 (86) | 64 (91) | 547 (84.1) |
| Do you suggest patients to approach a general physician rather than trusting online sources and social media? | 386 (89.7) | 89 (89) | 45 (90) | 61 (87) | 581 (89.3) |
| Do you consider that patients with COVID-19 symptoms must be kept in isolation? | 370 (80.0) | 78 (78) | 43 (86) | 64 (91) | 555 (85.3) |
| Do you notify dental patient receiving and diagnosis area personnel regarding COVID-19? | 400 (93.0) | 89 (89) | 42 (84) | 65 (93) | 596 (91.6) |
| Will you instruct the dental assistants to adopt PPE and proper hand hygiene methods while performing dental procedures? | 410 (95.3) | 89 (89) | 38 (76) | 67 (96) | 604 (92.9) |
| Do you believe sterilization of clinical and nonclinical areas can prevent COVID-19 transmission in dental clinics? | 415 (96.5) | 92 (92) | 45 (90) | 65 (93) | 617 (94.9) |
| Do you believe that there is an association between hand hygiene and COVID-19 infection control? | 395 (91.9) | 88 (88) | 42 (84) | 63 (90) | 588 (90.4) |
| Do you think hand hygiene prevents the spread of COVID-19 infection to patients? | 412 (95.8) | 90 (90) | 49 (98) | 66 (94) | 617 (94.9) |
Distribution of frequency regarding correct responses to general knowledge about COVID-19
| Question | n (%) | Total n (%) (n = 650) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UG (n = 430) | Interns (n = 100) | PG (n = 50) | Faculty (n = 70) | ||
| Do you have sufficient knowledge about novel COVID-19? | 385 (89.5) | 85 (85) | 39 (78) | 57 (81) | 566 (87.0) |
| Does SARS-CoV-2 cause COVID-19? | 280 (65.1) | 20 (20) | 25 (50) | 51 (73) | 376 (57.8) |
| Is COVID-19 zoonotic by origin? | 320 (74.5) | 57 (57) | 35 (70) | 40 (57) | 452 (69.5) |
| Is cough, sneeze, and droplet inhalation through danger triangle of the face the main route of transmission for COVID-19 in humans? | 421 (97.9) | 96 (96) | 47 (94) | 68 (97) | 632 (97.2) |
| Which of these viral infections can result in high mortality rates – SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, COVID-19 or HCoV-229E? | 150 (34.8) | 45 (45) | 22 (44) | 35 (50) | 252 (38.7) |
| Would it be correct to say that 2 weeks is the median incubation period for COVID-19? | 280 (65.1) | 60 (60) | 44 (88) | 61 (87) | 445 (68.4) |
| Would it be correct to say that the elderly are more susceptible for COVID-19? | 345 (80.2) | 85 (85) | 42 (84) | 62 (89) | 534 (82.1) |
| Are patients with comorbidity like hypertension, diabetes, respiratory system disease, and cardiovascular diseases at an increased risk for developing COVID-19? | 395 (91.8) | 90 (90) | 45 (90) | 68 (97) | 598 (92.0) |
| Do COVID-19 patients develop severe ARDS and cytokine storm? | 376 (87.4) | 86 (86) | 46 (92) | 66 (94) | 574 (88.3) |
| Are fever, cough, and shortness of breath main symptoms of COVID-19? | 365 (84.8) | 75 (75) | 43 (86) | 63 (90) | 546 (84.0) |
| Is there any vaccination available for COVID-19? | 310 (72.0) | 65 (65) | 32 (64) | 60 (86) | 467 (71.8) |
| Can RT-PCR be used for diagnosing COVID-19? | 260 (60.4) | 54 (54) | 35 (70) | 55 (79) | 404 (62.1) |
| Can antibiotics be used as the first line of treatment for COVID-19? | 230 (53.4) | 72 (72) | 30 (60) | 62 (89) | 394 (60.6) |
| Would it be correct to say that smokers have increased risk of developing COVID-19? | 410 (95.3) | 84 (84) | 39 (78) | 55 (79) | 588 (90.4) |