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

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Sri Priya Narayanan 1
. Hemamalini Rath
. Shilpa Mahapatra
. Manoranjan Mahakur 2

1 alth Dentistry, S.C.B Dental College and Hospital, Cuttack, Odisha, India

2 Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, S.C.B Dental College and Hospital, Cuttack, Odisha, India

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dentists are often overlooked resources in the workforce for disaster
management (DM). To determine the knowledge, attitudes, willingness, and self‑perceived
effectiveness 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 Council
of India registered GDPs of Cuttack district, Odisha. The 45‑item survey comprised closed‑ended
questions 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 knowledge
of DM, attitude, and self‑perceived effectiveness toward participation during disasters. Data were
analyzed descriptively, and the Chi‑square and Mann–Whitney U tests were used for statistical
analysis, with a significance threshold of P < 0.05.
RESULT: A total of 154 responses were analyzed, giving a response rate of 60.16%. The average
age was ≤35 years, 59.1% were BDS dentists and 78.6% had less than 10 years of practice. Only
18% 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 scores
were 16.12 (CI = 15.4–16.8) and 5.79 (5.45–6.13), respectively. Knowledge and attitude showed
a significant correlation. About 56% indicated that they would be able to respond effectively to a
disastrous event. Significant associations were observed between age group (P = 0.008), years
of clinical practice (P = 0.001), qualification (P = 0.012), previous participation (P = 0.029), and
self‑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, including
DM in dental curricula and drills for dental professionals might prove beneficial as almost all GDPs
were showing greater self‑perceived effectiveness and willingness to participate in disasters.

Keywords

Bioterrorism
capacity building
dentists
disasters
web‑based survey
workforce development 
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 13, Issue 2
February 2023
Pages 1-11

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