DENTAL CONSIDERATIONS DURING THE OUTBREAK OF CORONA VIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19)

Authors

  • Ajmal Yousaf Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
  • Fatima Ali Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
  • Syeda Fatima Tu Zahra Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
  • Syed Muzammil Hussain Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
  • Faisal Banghar Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
  • Khurshid Ali Bangash Combined Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan

Keywords:

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Dental management, Emergency Dental Treatment

Abstract

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of dentists during the outbreak of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to give recommendations for management of dental patients during this pandemic.

Study Design: Cross sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Operative Dentistry, Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry (AFID), Rawalpindi, from 1st Apr 2020 to 20th Apr 2020.

Methodology: After taking approval from ethical committee, a questionnaire on Google Forms was spread through social media in 300 dentists of Rawalpindi and Islamabad from different fields of dentistry out of which 279 filled the survey with a response rate of 93%. The questions included socio-demographic details, questions pertaining to the knowledge, attitude and practice of dentists towards the spread, cross-infection control of COVID-19 and the dental management of patients. The data was analyzed using SPSS 21.

Results: Total of 246 (88.17%) dentists reported that they were familiar with the protocols for treating patients during COVID-19 outbreak and 258(92.47%) opted for treating only emergency cases. On the basis of gender females were in majority 213 (76.34%), with majority being general dentists 147 (52.68%) and working in public hospitals 102 (36.56%).

Conclusion: The majority of dentists were aware of COVID-19 transmission, cross-infection control and knew how to prioritize patients based on urgency. The dentists being at high risk should follow all the precautions to prevent cross-infection and are highly encouraged to follow guidelines of WHO, ADA and NHSRC Pakistan regarding the dental management during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

30-07-2020

Issue

Section

Original Articles

How to Cite

1.
Yousaf A, Ali F, Zahra SFT, Hussain SM, Banghar F, Bangash KA. DENTAL CONSIDERATIONS DURING THE OUTBREAK OF CORONA VIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19). Pak Armed Forces Med J [Internet]. 2020 Jul. 30 [cited 2024 Nov. 9];70(1):S225-31. Available from: https://pafmj.org/PAFMJ/article/view/4879