COVID-19 prevalence and infection control practices among dentists in Andhra Pradesh State, India.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed a new challenge not only to public health but also to the health care systems and dentists are one of the highly vulnerable health care professionals for COVID-19 infection. OBJECTIVE: To assess the COVID-19 prevalence, associated factors, and infection control practices among dentists in Andhra Pradesh State, India. METHODS: A cross-sectional web-based questionnaire survey was conducted among dentists in Andhra Pradesh State, India. 21-item pretested questionnaire was used for data collection between January 30, 2021 and February 21, 2021. 3700 dentists from the Andhra Pradesh state were selected from the Dentists Register of India through systematic random sampling method. RESULTS: Out of 3700 dentists invited to participate in this study, responses from 1876 dentists were received with response rate of 51%. Prevalence of 8 among the study population was 9%. Patients were the primary source of infection for 60.5% of the COVID-19 positive study participants. 65.8% of total respondents using full face shield and two-third of them using N95 or equivalent mask while providing dental care. CONCLUSION: This study found a high prevalence rate of COVID-19 among the dentists. Among the associated factors, being into active practice during the pandemic was found to be statistically significant. This study recommend for additional infection control protocols specific to the COVID-19 pandemic.