Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Biomedical Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Oral Health. 2020 Dec 21;20(1):363. doi: 10.1186/s12903-020-01361-7.
This study aimed to assess the knowledge of dental professionals in Saudi Arabia regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
A questionnaire was developed to assess various dental professionals from both governmental and private sectors through online and social media outlets.
A total of 1,033 questionnaires were collected (273 dental students, 193 dental auxiliary personnel, 544 dentists). In all, 63.4% of the respondents worked in hospitals. Of all the respondents, 44.9%, 33.4%, and 21.7% worked in governmental clinics, academia, and the private sector, respectively. Overall knowledge of the incubation period and route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was consistent across all dental professions. Knowledge of hand-soap cleaning time was significantly different among dental professionals (p < 0.001). Dental professionals displayed significant disagreement on the survival of SARS-CoV-2 outside the host (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 75.1% of the respondents were reluctant to treat a suspected COVID-19 patient, and 92% of the participants believed that the mode of transmission was droplet inhalation. Fever, coughing, and shortness of breath were identified as the most common symptoms of COVID-19. Most standard methods of prevention in the dental office were selected by at least 50% of the participants.
Dental professionals seem to be consistent regarding their knowledge of the incubation period of SARS-CoV-2. However, knowledge of viral survivability and recommended hand-soap washing time was significantly variable among the professionals. A high degree of apprehension toward suspected COVID-19 patients existed among all dental professionals. Pandemic-awareness campaigns are essential among healthcare providers.
本研究旨在评估沙特阿拉伯牙科专业人员对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）和 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的认识。
通过在线和社交媒体渠道，为来自政府和私营部门的各类牙科专业人员制定了一份问卷。
共收集了 1033 份问卷（273 名牙科学生、193 名牙科辅助人员、544 名牙医）。在所有受访者中，63.4%的人在医院工作。在所有受访者中，44.9%、33.4%和 21.7%分别在政府诊所、学术界和私营部门工作。所有牙科专业人员对 SARS-CoV-2 的潜伏期和传播途径的总体认识是一致的。牙科专业人员对手部肥皂清洗时间的了解有显著差异（p<0.001）。牙科专业人员对 SARS-CoV-2 在宿主外的存活情况存在显著分歧（p<0.001）。此外，75.1%的受访者不愿治疗疑似 COVID-19 患者，92%的参与者认为传播途径是飞沫吸入。发热、咳嗽和呼吸急促被确定为 COVID-19 的最常见症状。在牙科诊所中，大多数标准的预防方法都被至少 50%的参与者选择。
牙科专业人员对 SARS-CoV-2 的潜伏期似乎有一致的认识。然而，关于病毒存活能力和推荐的肥皂洗手时间的知识在专业人员中差异显著。所有牙科专业人员对疑似 COVID-19 患者都存在高度的担忧。有必要在医疗保健提供者中开展大流行意识宣传活动。
