Evaluation of knowledge, attitude and practice of dental patients attending Oman Dental College towards cross-infection control during the pandemic: A crosssectional survey
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Keywords
COVID-19, cross infection, dental environment, patient awareness and practice
Abstract
Cross-contamination within a dental clinic can occur when the disinfection and sterilisation protocols are not impeccably followed. Aerosol plays an important role in the transmission of COVID-19. These facts essentiate the need to educate patients on cross-infection control procedures, for which assessing their knowledge attitude and practice is essential. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using the Microsoft platform among patients attending Oman Dental College using an internally validated e-questionnaire containing 17 closed-ended questions. Statistical analysis of the collected data was performed using SPSS 19.0 software. Tables were generated using Microsoft Word and Excel. The means of different variables across groups were compared using ANOVA and independent t-tests. In the case of continuous measurements, we presented the mean and standard deviation. Categorical measurements were presented as numbers and percentages. Statistical significance was determined using 5% level. A total of 387 responses were analysed, which showcased that 78.6% were familiar with the COVID-19 protocol issued by the Ministry of Health Oman. However, only 59.12% exhibited ideal knowledge. In all, 36.4% displayed optimal practice characteristics and 86.8% of the population felt safe (at varying degrees) attending a dental clinic during the pandemic. Gender, nationality, occupation, age and educational qualification were the variables that significantly influenced the knowledge, attitude and practice of dental patients. Based on the results, it is evident that the patients have a good understanding of both preventive and cross-infection control protocols to be followed during the COVID-19 Pandemic, but there are still a few areas to be addressed to enhance patient awareness.
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