Fear of COVID-19 in dentistry students: an evaluation of their knowledge and practices

Background: This study's objective was to analyse the fear of COVID-19 among the dentistry student and the knowledge, attitude, and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: It was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. An online survey form was designed and distributed to undergraduate dental students via google forms. A previously validated fear of coronavirus scale (FCV-19S) was used to analyse the fear. SPSS 21 was used for data entry and data analysis. Descriptive statistics were applied to calculate the frequencies of different variables. Independent t-test was executed to determine the difference of FCV-19S among gender and between public and private dental colleges. ANOVA was carried out to evaluate the difference in fear among different levels of BDS. Results: Data of 983 individuals from different dental colleges in Karachi, Pakistan, have been analysed. The majority of the students were females in 1st year and private sector dental colleges (P<0.001). The mean FCV-19S was 20.99 +or- 6.48, which is higher than the cut-off value 15. A highly significant difference in mean FCV-19S among the different variables has been observed (P<0.001). A significant difference has been observed among the gender (t (932) = -5.40, p<0.001) in all 4-years of BDS. Conclusion: Despite good knowledge and following the COVID-19 guidelines, fear is prevalent among the students.

Dysmenorrhea among Female University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dysmenorrhea is the most common gynecological symptom among adolescent girls and young women. It can have a significant impact on females' quality of life. The study aims to investigate the prevalence and impact of dysmenorrhea among Iraqi university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted across different universities, including (College of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry) in Baghdad/Iraq, from March to May 2021. The data was collected through a self-questionnaire of 1312 Iraqi female university students. Dysmenorrhea was reported by (51.5%) of university students. Nearly one-third (32.1%) of participants rating dysmenorrhea as mild, (13.3%) moderate, and (6.1%) severe. Approximately (18.1%) of participants reported worsening of their menstrual pain, (21.3%) reported irregular menstrual cycles, (35.5%) reported increasing in learning difficulties, and (13.4%) reported increasing in the medication used to treat dysmenorrhea during the pandemic. The results revealed that there was a significant relationship between dysmenorrhea and the age of students, menstrual irregularity, medication use, and students who had Covid-19 infection (p-value <0.005). In addition, there was a highly significantly relationship between dysmenorrhea and learning disabilities as well as poor interpersonal relationships among Iraqi university students during the COVID-19 pandemic (p-value <0.001). According to the findings, dysmenorrhea has a negative impact on students' attendance, academic performance, and their interpersonal interactions during the COVID 19 pandemic. Future studies need to focus on improving pain management strategies to reduce the effects of dysmenorrhea so that young women can optimize their educational and future life opportunities. © 2022 Sami Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Fear and Perception of People to Visit Dentists during COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Suggestions

Objectives This study was performed to determine patients' fear and perception of visiting dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study was performed online using Google forms. Participants included individuals who had been to dental clinics for treatment. The data of 407 participants were analyzed. SPSS 21 was used for data entry and analysis. Demographic variables were expressed in numbers and percentages. The Chi-squared test was applied to analyze the difference between the demographic variables and fear among genders, age, and level of education. Results Due to the coronavirus's contagious nature, fear is prevalent among a significant number of patients (χ 2= 31.373, p < 0.001). Females are more afraid to visit the dentist than males (χ 2= 7.065, p = 0.008). The majority of the patients are not willing to go for dental treatment other than an emergency. Around two-thirds of the participants reported that their visit to the dentist during the current pandemic was reduced. Conclusion Due to the fear of COVID-19, patients are not willing to visit dentists for treatments. Therefore, dentists should build confidence by ensuring cross-infection control. © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.

Anxiety and Obsession among the Dentists after Covid-19 Vaccination - A Cross-Sectional Study

Aim: To assess dentists' COVID-19 anxiety and obsession following vaccination and their impressions of the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study performed in July 2021. Two previously validated, standardized, self-reported scales were used: the COVID-19 anxiety scale (CAS) and the Obsession with COVID-19 scale (OCS).COVID-19 scales. The survey form was circulated through the convenience snowball technique. Data were analyzed with the help of SPSS-21. Independent sample T-Test and ANOVA were executed. Results: Data of 124 dentists were analyzed. Mean anxiety and obsession score was recorded as 5.29±4.238 and 1.87±3.34, respectively. 83.06% (n=103) of the dentists agree that the vaccine's anxiety has been reduced. Female dentists showed significantly higher anxiety (t= -2.606, P=0.011) and obsession scores (t=-3.309, P=0.02). Dysfunctional anxiety was found in 21.77% of the dentists, and obsession was observed in 9.67%. Conclusion: The majority of dentists stated that COVID-19 vaccination had lessened their anxiety related to COVID-19, and Coronavirus vaccination has greatly reduced dysfunctional anxiety and obsession.

The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Sindh and Baluchistan's Bachelors of Dental Surgery (BDS) Students and Their Stress Management Strategies During the Current Pandemic

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the anxiety among the bachelors of dental surgery (BDS) students of Sindh and Baluchistan during COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary objective of this study was to evaluate the stress management strategies. Methods: In this web-based cross-sectional study, data of eight hundred and nine bachelors of dental surgery (BDS) students of Sindh and Baluchistan were analyzed using SPSS version 21. A validated e-questionnaire created using Google form was distributed among the dental college students pursuing bachelors of dental surgery (BDS) through social media. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The majority of the respondents were females (n=596, 73.7%) and studied in private dental colleges (n = 543, 67.15). Most of the students were dissatisfied with online education, and no significant difference was found among private and public sector dental college (p>0.05). Moderate to severe level of anxiety among both genders was prevalent. Praying and reciting the Holy Book is the most common coping strategy, followed by sleeping and talking to friends and family. Conclusion: We conclude that the BDS students of Sindh and Baluchistan are suffering from anxiety. The majority of the students are not happy with the quality of online education.

The psychology of coronavirus fear: are dentists of Pakistan suffering from corona-phobia?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the level of anxiety and fear among Pakistani dentists due to COVID-19. METHODOLOGY: Data of 386 dentists evaluated who responded to the questionnaire sent via social media. Fear of coronavirus scale (FCV-19S) was used for evaluation of fear among Pakistani dentists. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 21. One way ANOVA, chi-square and independent t-test were used for statistical analysis. P-value <0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: The overall mean FCV-19S score was 26.22 +or- 4.907, which is on the higher end. Females showed higher fear scores as compared to males (p<0.001). A statistically significant difference between the scores of General Dental Practitioners (GDP) and specialists was also observed (p<0.001), Statistically, a significant difference was observed between all 4 age groups of dentists, young and elderly dentists demonstrating higher scores (F (3,382) = 8.618, p< 0.001). CONCLUSION: We conclude that due to the current COVID-19 crisis, majority of the dentists of Pakistan are afraid and among them, females, GDPs, young and elderly dentists are found to be more anxious and have a greater fear of getting infected by coronavirus during COVID 19 Pandemic.

COVID-19 and dental education in Pakistan

The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 6 million people globally;and changed the dynamics of the entire world. In March 2020, novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). In Pakistan, the first case of COVID-19 was reported on 26th February, 2020. The virus is highly contagious and spreads mainly by aerosols. Its major symptoms include sore throat, cough, high-grade fever, anosmia, etc. Like other countries, it has also affected all fields of life in Pakistan, but its impact on dental education and dentistry has been particularly devastating. Dental institutes are at particularly high risk for infection transmission through their aerosol-generating dental procedures. In the scenario of a lockdown, dental students are suffering a lot and the dental colleges and faculties must try their best to overcome this situation. This article aims to review the challenges faced by dental community to carryout teaching and training in dental education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychological barriers among dental patients during the COVID-19 crisis

Objective: To evaluate the psychological fear (anxiety) of dental patients while visiting a dentist in the period of the present coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methodology: This online cross-sectional survey used a self-administered questionnaire to analyze the anxiety, knowledge, and perception of 461 dental patients. A p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Data from 461 participants revealed significant differences among genders (X-2 = 14.944, p<0.001), age (X-2= 142.915, p<0.001), and between the educational levels of the participants (X-2= 410.399, p<0.001). We found that 63.6% patients were afraid of visiting dentists due to the fear of COVID-19, and 66.2% patients thought that they will get the disease from the dentist or dental office. We observed that females were found to be more anxious than men (p<0.05). Conclusion: There was high anxiety among the patients to visit dentists because of the current pandemic. Aanxiety regarding COVID-19 is prevalent in the society that may lead to a monetary crisis for dentists.

Evaluation of knowledge, practices, attitude, and anxiety of nurses towards COVID-19 during the current outbreak in Karachi, Pakistan

Background: Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus, the front line soldiers during this pandemic are the healthcare professionals because of their direct association with COVID19 patients. In the management of such patients, nurses play a significant role through proper care and preventive measures. Due to its contagious nature, fatality, and no proper medicine, it is a risk to the health and life of nurses and has an impact on their psychological health. The aim of the current study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, practices, and anxiety levels of the frontline nurses.