Cognizance of Dentists and Dental Students Regarding Infection Control Practices in the Wake of COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors:   Associate Professor & Head, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Sree Anjaneya Institute of Dental Sciences, Malabar Medical College Campus, Kozhikode, Kerala, India., Bhagvandas Sudeep C. , Narayanan Anjhana ,   Assistant Professor, Department of Periodontology, Sree Anjaneya Institute of Dental Sciences, Malabar Medical College Campus, Kozhikode, Kerala, India., Chandran Nikhil ,   Resident Pediatric Dentist, Department of Dentistry, Government District Hospital, Vadakara, Kerala, India., Madhavan Sanupa ,   Associate Professor, Department of Periodontology, Sree Anjaneya Institute of Dental Sciences, Malabar Medical College Campus, Kozhikode, Kerala, India., Pai Archana ,   Assistant Professor, Department of Pedodontics, Sree Anjaneya Institute of Dental Sciences, Malabar Medical College Campus, Kozhikode, Kerala, India, Parayancode Anuradha ,   Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Sree Anjaneya Institute of Dental Sciences, Malabar Medical College Campus, Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
Published: September 2021

Introduction: Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic began in China in December 2019 and was reported as a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown aetiology from Wuhan, Hubei. Its origin is believed to be from an animal source in an individuals after he visited the local seafood and animal market in Wuhan and after which community transmission led to the initial endemic turning into a pandemic. Infection prevention and control (IP&C) practices are said to upmost important in maintaining a safe environment for everyone by reducing the risk of the potential spread of the disease. Such practices are designed so as to reduce the risk of hospital-associated infections and also to ensure a safe and healthy environment for patients, healthcare providers and visitors. Aim and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine and understand the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding infection control among dental practitioners and dental students during the ongoing pandemic. Materials and Methods: A total of 1005 responders participated and completed a structured questionnaire based online survey. Convenient sampling was adopted for data collection and the distribution of responses was presented as frequencies and percentage. Descriptive statistics were carried out for all groups and subgroups. Results: Overall awareness for all subgroups was found to be adequate with 90% reporting correct answers. More than three-fourths of the responders were aware of the importance of infection control in dental clinics and 95% of responders were aware about the WHO guidelines. Only 0.7% of responders were unaware of the importance of hand hygiene and other infection control practices. Conclusion: Even though the study results shows a satisfactory level of cognizance among the participants, the need for periodic educational interventions and training programs regarding infection control practices pertaining to COVID-19 across all healthcare professions should not be overlooked. Occupational health and safety is always considered of paramount importance to minimize the risk of transmission to healthcare students and professionals and provide optimal care for patients.