Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Preparedness toward participation in disaster management: An online survey among dental practitioners in a disaster‑prone region of Eastern India

. Sri Priya Narayanan; . Hemamalini Rath; . Shilpa Mahapatra; . Manoranjan Mahakur

Volume 13, Issue 2 , February 2023, , Pages 1-11

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Dentists are often overlooked resources in the workforce for disastermanagement (DM). To determine the knowledge, attitudes, willingness, and self‑perceivedeffectiveness ... Read More BACKGROUND: Dentists are often overlooked resources in the workforce for disastermanagement (DM). To determine the knowledge, attitudes, willingness, and self‑perceivedeffectiveness to participate in DM among general dental practitioners (GDPs) of Eastern India.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A web‑based online survey was conducted among 256 Dental Councilof India registered GDPs of Cuttack district, Odisha. The 45‑item survey comprised closed‑endedquestions on the demographic data of the participants, years of practice, previous experience in DM,and willingness to participate. Other domains assessed were the participants’ objective knowledgeof DM, attitude, and self‑perceived effectiveness toward participation during disasters. Data wereanalyzed descriptively, and the Chi‑square and Mann–Whitney U tests were used for statisticalanalysis, with a significance threshold of P < 0.05.RESULT: A total of 154 responses were analyzed, giving a response rate of 60.16%. The averageage was ≤35 years, 59.1% were BDS dentists and 78.6% had less than 10 years of practice. Only18% of them had previous experience with DM, and merely 3.2% were formerly trained; however,95.5% of the dentists were willing to participate in DM. The mean DM knowledge and attitude scoreswere 16.12 (CI = 15.4–16.8) and 5.79 (5.45–6.13), respectively. Knowledge and attitude showeda significant correlation. About 56% indicated that they would be able to respond effectively to adisastrous event. Significant associations were observed between age group (P = 0.008), yearsof clinical practice (P = 0.001), qualification (P = 0.012), previous participation (P = 0.029), andself‑perceived effectiveness.CONCLUSION: The knowledge regarding DM among respondents was at an average level. However,the majority of them were found to have a positive attitude toward participation in DM. Thus, includingDM in dental curricula and drills for dental professionals might prove beneficial as almost all GDPswere showing greater self‑perceived effectiveness and willingness to participate in disasters.

Knowledge of COVID‑19 and its implications in dental treatment, and practices of personal protective equipment among dentists: A survey‑based assessment

. Vivek Kumar Bains; . Rhythm Bains; . Vivek Gupta; . Sanjeev Kumar Salaria

Volume 11, Issue 2 , February 2021, , Pages 1-7

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Oral health-care providers are always at a risk of transmitting or acquiring airborne,saliva-borne, or blood-borne infections due to their proximity to the patient’s ... Read More BACKGROUND: Oral health-care providers are always at a risk of transmitting or acquiring airborne,saliva-borne, or blood-borne infections due to their proximity to the patient’s mouth, contact withsaliva, and handling of sharp instruments. the aim this study was to evaluate the knowledge of thedentists regarding COVID-19, methods to prevent its transmission, and implications of COVID-19in dental treatment.MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a cross-sectional online survey. There were 35 questionsin total, divided into sections of knowledge of COVID-19, practices of personal protectiveequipment (PPE), and knowledge of implications of COVID-19 in dental treatment. Both conveniencesampling and snowball sampling were used, so that maximal participation could be ensured. Theresults were analyzed using descriptive statistics and making comparisons among various groups.The data were summarized as proportions and percentages (%). All the associations were testedusing the Chi‑square test, ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Statistical analyses wereperformed using SPSS version 19.0.RESULTS: 26.8% of respondents had a high knowledge, 61.5% had good knowledge, 10.1%had low knowledge, and 6 (1.5%) had nil knowledge about COVID‑19. No significant associationwas found between qualification and knowledge level among the respondents (P = 0.053). Bothgraduates and postgraduates had low knowledge regarding effective PPE components (P = 0.053),donning (P = 0.888), and doffing (P = 0.745). Only 52.9% of postgraduates and 43.7% graduatesanswered correctly about the sequence of donning, and 47.9% of postgraduates and 46.1% ofgraduates had knowledge regarding correct doffing sequence of PPE. Furthermore, knowledge waslow regarding the implications of COVID-19 in dental treatment.CONCLUSION: Although the dentists were found to have high/good knowledge scores regardingCOVID-19, there was a lack of knowledge regarding hand hygiene, proper use of PPE, and implicationsof COVID-19 in dental treatment. Thus, they need to be trained and sensitized regarding the same.

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Keywords = dentists

Preparedness toward participation in disaster management: An online survey among dental practitioners in a disaster‑prone region of Eastern India

Abstract

Knowledge of COVID‑19 and its implications in dental treatment, and practices of personal protective equipment among dentists: A survey‑based assessment

Abstract