Investigation of Turkish dentists’ clinical attitudes and behaviors towards the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey study

Abstract

Currently, the whole world is under the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, and dentists are at high risk. The aim of this study was to investigate what kind of precautions Turkish dentists take in dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study population consisted of dentists in Turkey. An online questionnaire (23 questions-57 items) was sent to a sample of Turkish dentists from March 16 to March 20, 2020. The questionnaire comprised a series of questions about dentists' demographic characteristics, their concerns, and the measures taken in dental clinics against COVID-19. This study included a total of 1,958 Turkish dentists. A total of 1,274 (65.1%) were general dentists, and 684 (34.9%) were specialists. Five hundred twenty-two (26.7%) dentists attended an informational meeting on COVID-19. Of these dentists, 69.8% were aware of COVID-19 according to their self-assessed knowledge scores. More than 90% of the dentists were concerned about themselves and their families. Only 12% of the dentists wore an N95 mask. Although Turkish dentists took some precautionary measures, they did not take enough precautions to protect themselves, the dental staff, and other patients from COVID-19. As the number of COVID-19 cases increased, the measures taken slightly increased in dental clinics as well. Dentists are strongly recommended to take maximum precautions in the clinical setting. The guidelines about the COVID-19 pandemic should be sent to all dentists by the regional and national dental associations.

Exploring the knowledge, awareness and practices of COVID-19 among dentists in Bangladesh: A Cross-sectional Investigation

“…The dentists in the country are going through nancial hardship, and no government initiative is in place to help the dentists who are struggling to meet their daily needs. It has also been reported that psychological distress increased among the dentists as the level of knowledge of COVID -19 infection increased (Duruk et al 2020).…”

Biosafety knowledge, actions and practices of brazilian dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…However, while the availability of information about the pandemic is welcome, care must be taken with the reliability and authenticity of the source, to minimize the conveying of incorrect content (Ahmed et al, 2020). Thus, workers should rely on official guidelines (Duruk, Gümüşboğa, & Çolak, 2020).…”

“…Although dentists have a high risk of infection by the new coronavirus and can become silent spreaders, the spread of the disease can be controlled by following rigorous biosafety guidelines (Duruk, Gümüşboğa, & Çolak, 2020;Kamate et al, 2020). Having appropriate knowledge of a disease can influence the behavior of healthcare workers, while incorrect actions directly increase the risk of infection (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária., 2020).…”

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“…COVID-19 is a member of betacoronavirus subgroup. Although COVID-19 is in the same subgroup as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, according to the current studies, the genetic similarity rate of COVID-19 with them is below 80% but COVID-19 has a significantly higher transmission rate than the others [6]. On the other hand, the mortality rates of COVID-19 are lower compared to SARS and MERS-CoV [5].…”

“…Current studies and WHO declaration state that the incubation period of COVID-19 lasts from 1 to 14 days, with an average of 5-6 days [19]. The 14-day period is confirmed as a time frame in order to make medical investigation and to put people who have been potentially exposed to COVID-19 during quarantine [6]. However, there are some case reports in the literature that state that the incubation period of COVID-19 has extended up to 24 days [20].…”