Evaluation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) awareness of patients undergoing dental interventions in Turkey.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: We aimed to objectively assess the COVID-19 awareness of the patients requiring dental interventions in our dental clinic by utilizing a newly generated questionnaire, which may serve helpfully in the hard battle against the pandemic in our country. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 306 volunteer adults who applied to our dental clinic for dental interventions during the early days of COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey. All patients responded to a newly created questionnaire composed of four sections with 19 questions those mostly assessing the social and demographic details; like the participant's age, gender, marital status, education status, medical history, basic dental hygiene habits, occupation, and general information about the COVID-19 infection and its protection methods. RESULTS: The outcomes of 306 participants revealed that their gender, age, and education status showed significant distinctions about the dissemination of coronavirus via dental interventions. Higher education status was linked to a loftier level of social awareness about the COVID-19 infection and its potential associations with dental interventions. It was observed that the participants were unsatisfactorily cautious against the COVID-19 infection and its dissemination pathways in their social environment, particularly in the specific case of systematic diseases and preventive measures. The primary way of obtaining information about the COVID-19 infection was the electronic websites. CONCLUSION: Deplorably, accentuating the urgent need for further intensive training programs on the relationship between the systemic diseases and COVID-19 infection, and explicit daily care methods in the social environment.