Evaluation of dental students' knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19 infection: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the differences between preclinical and clinical dental students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 303 undergraduate dental students (107 clinical students and 196 preclinical students). Questionnaires were given to the participants using an online data collection platform. The online questionnaire covered the dental students' socio-demographic information and their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of Coronavirus disease. RESULTS: More frequently than preclinical students, clinical students benefited from the latest information about the COVID-19 outbreak obtained from television, internet news sites, and the World Health Organization website (P<0.05). The use of other protective equipment other than gloves and goggles has changed from "No" before the pandemic to "Yes" onset of the pandemic (P<0.001). The knowledge level of infection control in dentistry increased significantly more for clinical students than for preclinical students (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although dental students show reasonable knowledge, attitudes and behavior about COVID-19, attention should be taken to provide education on infectious diseases, starting from preclinical classes, and to make real information resources provided by global and national health authorities accessible to students.

Investigating the Level of Knowledge of the Community about Oral and Dental Health.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the knowledge and approaches of the participants about oral and dental health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey. Participants' demographic characteristics, tooth brushing habits, selection of toothpaste, and reasons for visiting the dentist were examined in this study. Participants' knowledge levels of fluoride and their attitudes toward the most common fluoride applications among preventive treatments were also evaluated. Data entry and analyses were performed using SPSS statistical software. Descriptive and inferential statistics and chi-square test were used for analyzes. RESULTS: A total of 2,744 voluntary participants including 1,938 (70.6%) females and 806 (29.4%) males responded; 1,391 (50.7%) participants know the contents of their toothpaste; 1,680 (61.2%) participants point out that fluoride is effective in preventing dental caries. Female participants reported a statistically significant difference in their knowledge of what is fluoride when compared with male participants (p = 0.0001). The knowledge level of participants who had higher levels of education were statistically significantly different when compared with the participants who had lower education levels about fluoride and fluoride applications (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that participants' attitudes toward oral health and dental care need to be improved.