Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the general population about Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a systematic review and meta-analysis with policy recommendations.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate and synthesize the current evidence on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of the general population regarding COVID-19. STUDY DESIGN: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search on PubMed/LitCovid, Scopus, and Web of Sciences databases for papers in the English language only, up to 1 January 2021. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist developed for cross-sectional studies to appraise the quality of the included studies. All stages of the review conducted by two independent reviewers and potential discrepancies were solved with a consultation with a third reviewer. We reported the result as number and percentage. A meta-analysis conducted using a random effect model with a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: Forty-eight studies encompassing 76,848 participants were included in this review. 56.53% of the participants were female. The mean age of the participants was 33.7 years. 85.42% of the included studies were scored as good quality, 12.50% as fair quality, and the remaining (2.08%) as low quality. About 87.5% examined all three components of the KAPs model. The knowledge component was reported as good and poor in 89.5% and 10.5% of the included studies, respectively. Of the studies that examined the attitude component, 100% reported a positive attitude. For the practice component, 93.2% reported satisfactory practice, and 6.8% poor practice. The result of the meta-analysis showed that the overall score of KAPs components about COVID-19 were 78.9, 79.8, and 74.1, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that the overall KAP components in the included studies were at an acceptable level. In general, knowledge was at a good level, the attitude was positive and practice was at a satisfactory level. Using an integrated international system can help better evaluate these components and compare them between countries. PROSPERO REGISTRATION CODE: (CRD42020186755).

Global, Regional, and National Levels and Trends in Burden of Oral Conditions from 1990 to 2017: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study.

Government and nongovernmental organizations need national and global estimates on the descriptive epidemiology of common oral conditions for policy planning and evaluation. The aim of this component of the Global Burden of Disease study was to produce estimates on prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability for oral conditions from 1990 to 2017 by sex, age, and countries. In addition, this study reports the global socioeconomic pattern in burden of oral conditions by the standard World Bank classification of economies as well as the Global Burden of Disease Socio-demographic Index. The findings show that oral conditions remain a substantial population health challenge. Globally, there were 3.5 billion cases (95% uncertainty interval [95% UI], 3.2 to 3.7 billion) of oral conditions, of which 2.3 billion (95% UI, 2.1 to 2.5 billion) had untreated caries in permanent teeth, 796 million (95% UI, 671 to 930 million) had severe periodontitis, 532 million (95% UI, 443 to 622 million) had untreated caries in deciduous teeth, 267 million (95% UI, 235 to 300 million) had total tooth loss, and 139 million (95% UI, 133 to 146 million) had other oral conditions in 2017. Several patterns emerged when the World Bank's classification of economies and the Socio-demographic Index were used as indicators of economic development. In general, more economically developed countries have the lowest burden of untreated dental caries and severe periodontitis and the highest burden of total tooth loss. The findings offer an opportunity for policy makers to identify successful oral health strategies and strengthen them; introduce and monitor different approaches where oral diseases are increasing; plan integration of oral health in the agenda for prevention of noncommunicable diseases; and estimate the cost of providing universal coverage for dental care.