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KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS AND PERCEPTIONS OF
Original Articles
CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) IN A COHORT
OF INDIAN DENTAL PROFESSIONALS:
A QUESTIONNAIRE-BASED STUDY
Niraj Kinariwala1a* , Lakshman Perera Samaranayake2b , Irosha Rukmali Perera3c , Zeal Patel4d
1
Department of Conservative Dentistry, Karnavati School of Dentistry, Karnavati University, Gandhinagar, India
2
Department of Oral Biosciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
3
Preventive Oral Health Unit, National Dental Hospital (Teaching), Colombo, Sri Lanka
4
Department of Community Dentistry / Public Health Dentistry, Karnavati School of Dentistry, Karnavati University, Gandhinagar, India
a
BDS, MDS, PhD, Associate Professor; e-mail: niraj@ksd.ac.in; ORCIDiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9038-2035
b
DSc, DDS (Glas), FRCPath, FDSRCS(Edin), FRACDS, FDS RCPS (Glas), FHKCPath, FCDSHK, Professor Emeritus; e-mail: lakshman@hku.hk;
ORCIDiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9122-336X
c
BDS, MDS, Dental Public Health Specialist; e-mail: irosha_rukmali@yahoo.com; ORCIDiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8250-0169
d
BDS, MDS, PhD, Associate Professor; e-mail: zeal_86@yahoo.com; ORCIDiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6571-4002
ABSTRACT https://doi.org/10.25241/stomaeduj.2020.7(4).art.2
Objectives COVID-19 is an unprecedented global public health emergency currently impacting heavily on
India. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, awareness, perceptions of Indian dentists on
COVID-19.
Methods A cross-sectional, on-line questionnaire-based study was conducted amongst 403 Indian
dentists in solo, and group practices as well as academics. The self-administered questionnaire assessed
1) knowledge/awareness of factors related to COVID-19 patient identification and symptomatology, 2)
knowledge/awareness of COVID-19 transmission and 3) perceptions of COVID-19 history taking procedure.
Statistical analyses were conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows, version 21.0
(IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Frequency distributions and logistic regression analyses were used.
Results Indian dentists demonstrated an overall modest level of knowledge on identification of patients
with COVID-19. Moreover, they had a high level of awareness of the COVID-19 transmission means, and the
generally accepted procedural perceptions on patient history taking. However, there were some gaps in
specific aspects of knowledge and perceptions. Those who were aged ≥ 30-years had a significantly higher
level of knowledge of patient identification means than those who were < 30-years (OR=1.78:1.12-2.83);
p=0.01. Moreover, specialized dentists were significantly more knowledgeable of COVID-19 transmission
means than general dentists (OR=1.89:1.22-2.93; p=0.004).
Conclusion Our findings demonstrate identifiable gaps in knowledge/awareness and perceptions of
COVID-19 in Indian dental professionals. These gaps should be fulfilled, at the earliest, due to the rising
burden of COVID-19 in India, to ensure safe dental care delivery.
KEYWORDS
COVID-19; Knowledge; Awareness; Perceptions; Indian Dentists.
1. INTRODUCTION has become a major public health challenge for the
global community. The disease, caused by a novel
The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome
that originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has impacted livelihoods
OPEN ACCESS This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license.
Peer-Reviewed Article
Citation: Kinariwala N, Samaranayake LP, Perera IR, Patel Z. Knowledge, awareness and perceptions of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a
cohort of Indian dental professionals : a questionnaire-based study. Stoma Edu J. 2020;7(4):242-251.
Received: October 13, 2020; Revised: October 20, 2020; Accepted: October 25, 2020; Published: October 28, 2020
*Corresponding author: Dr. Niraj Kinariwala, Karnavati School of Dentistry, Karnavati University, A/907, Uvarsad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382422
Tel /Fax: 079-23970000, 079-61755500; e-mail: drnirajkinariwala@gmail.com; niraj@ksd.ac.in
Copyright: © 2020 the Editorial Council for the Stomatology Edu Journal.
242 Stoma Edu J. 2020;7(4): 242-251 pISSN 2360-2406; eISSN 2502-0285
Knowledge of Indian dentists on COVID-19
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Original Articles
120
120
98
Percentage of respondents
97 94.8
100
98.5 98.8 100
90.3 90.3
80 70.2
Percentage of respondents
77.7
80
60
58.8
60 40
20
40
0
Main source Infected body fluid Hand hygiene Minimum
20
physical/social
distancing
Transmission sources and routes of COVID-19
0
Young mortality Older people Chronic disease Emerging Known Incubation
Figure 2. Percentage of respondents who correctly answered questions
symptoms symptoms period on COVID-19 transmission sources and routes .
Knowledge and awareness of COVID-19
Figure 1. Percentage of respondents who correctly answered questions
on knowledge/awareness of COVID-19 .
100,000 recorded deaths. First country wide citizen
Table 1. Socio-demographic profile of the responding dentists.
lockdown in India was implemented on 25th March,
Attribute Number % 2020, and since then the dental practitioners have
Gender
Male 201 49.9
been instructed by the authorities to carry out
Female 202 50.1 only emergency treatment of patients that obviate
Age group aerosol production. As in other regions of the
<30 years 143 35.5 World, front line health care workers in India appear
30-40 years 197 48.9 to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19
1-50 ears 46 11.4 and dentists, in particular, are likely to be exposed
>50 years 17 4.2 to SARS-CoV-2[1,2]. This is mainly due to their
Professional qualifications work in close proximity to the patients, and the
BDS* 225 55.8 intrinsic nature of dentistry entailing high-speed
MDS 178 44.2 instrumentation, and the likelihood of aerosolizing
Specialization saliva and virus-laden aerosols in inadequately
Not specialized-General
227 56.3 ventilated clinical settings[2]. There are anecdotal
Practitioner
reports of dentists expressing fears on the post-
Endodontist 68 16.9
Prosthodontist 30 7.4
pandemic dental practice and their professional
Periodontist 23 5.7 future, but the extent to which these perceptions are
Orthodontist 19 4.7 based, as well as their clinical knowledge of COVID-19
Paedodontist 14 3.5 is unclear. Such information on the knowledge and
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon 14 3.5 perceptions of dentists is needed, on a wider scale,
Oral Radiologist 8 2.0 not only to identify existing knowledge gaps but also
Practice Type to articulate optimal measures to prevent COVID-19
Private Solo Practice 242 60.0 transmission in the dental clinic. Additionally, if
Private Group Practice 87 21.6 the disease were to sporadically erupt in local or
Academic 74 18.4 regional pockets from time to time, and/or the so
Use of Arogya Setu Mobile Application called second wave of the disease were to transpire
No 153 38.0 then dentists could play an important role in early
Yes 250 62.0 detection of the disease, for which their knowledge
CPE/Webinar Programme of COVID-19 would be critical, in particular for
participation on management of
patients during COVID-19 pandemic
identification and appropriate referral of patients.
No 71 17.6 We are unaware of any studies in the literature on
Yes 332 83.4 the knowledge and perceptions of dental health
* includes 32 dental postgraduate trainees. professionals of India. Therefore, the aims of this
study were to assess knowledge and awareness of
of a substantive proportion of the global community COVID-19 in a cross section of dental professionals
including dentists. Thus, clinical dental practices, in India.
academic dental establishments, and similar private
and government funded organisations have either 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
closed or curtailed their professional work due,
either to the fear of contracting the infection, and/ A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study was
or the widespread lockdowns initiated by the local, conducted amongst Indian dentists in the single-
and regional authorities. In India, the first case of handed practices, group practices, and academics,
COVID-19 was reported on 30th January, 2020, irrespective of their specialization. The questionnaire
and at the time of writing on 1st October 2020 the was developed in English to assess the respondents`
patient numbers have risen to over 6,400,000 with knowledge, awareness and perceptions of COVID-19.
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Original Articles Table 2. Related factors of knowledge/awareness of COVID-19 patient risk stratification, among Indian dentists.
Unadjusted Adjusted
Factor p-value p-value
Odds ratio (95% CI) Odds ratio (95% CI)
Gender
Male 1 1
Female 1.46(0.07-2.19) 0.07 1.67(1.09-2.56) 0.02*
Age group
<30-years 1 1
≥ 30-years 1.71(1.11-2.64) 0.016* 1.78(1.12-2.83) 0.01*
Qualifications
BDS only 1 1
Specialized 1.27 (0.84-1.90) 0.25 1.19(0.77-1.82) 0.40
COVID-19 CDE/Webinar participation
No 1 1
Yes 1.51(0.87-2.64) 0.14 1.29(0.72-2.31 0.39
Using Arogya Setu mobile application
No 1 1
Yes 0.95(0.63-1.45) 0.82 1.07(0.70-1.65) 0.76
*Significance, p<0.05.
Table 3. Demographic data and Related factors of knowledge/awareness of COVID-19 transmission among Indian dentists.
Factor Unadjusted Odds ratio (95% CI) p-value Adjusted Odds ratio (95% CI) p-value
Gender
Male 1 1
Female 0.94(0.62-1.42) 0.78 0.91(0.59-1.40) 0.66
Age group
<30-years 1 1
≥ 30-years 1.12(0.73-1.72) 0.60 1.09(0.68-1.72) 0.72
Qualifications
BDS only 1 1
Specialized 1.89 (1.23-2.90) 0.004* 1.89(1.22-2.93) 0.004*
COVID-19 CPD/Webinar
participation
No 1 1
Yes 0.91(0.53-1.58) 0.75 0.76(0.42-1.36 0.35
Using Arogya Setu mobile
application
No 1 1
Yes 0.65(0.42-1.00) 0.05 1.66(0.42-1.03) 0.07
The questionnaire was compiled using the data awareness of factors related to COVID-19 patient
garnered on 1st May, 2020, from the websites of the risk stratification, iii) knowledge/awareness of
World Health Organization (WHO), US Centre for prevention and control of COVID-19 transmission,
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Ministry and iv) perceptions of COVID-19 risk assessment,
of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of and patient history taking. Once the responses
India, and the Dental Council of India (DCI). First, a were received, the individual components were
pilot survey of the questionnaire was conducted scored for the foregoing four major components,
amongst randomly selected 20 dentists, and once as follows. The respondents were dichotomized
their response was received, ambiguities in the according to their age as <30 years vs ≥ 30-years,
questionnaire, if any, were rectified prior to the final while the dental specialties were segregated into
mass circulation. Participants were assured of the two groups as general dental practitioners vs
confidentiality of their responses. The pilot-tested specialists (which included all dental specialties).
dentists were not included in the final study. The The scores were dichotomized as ‘good’ and
survey was conducted online amongst members ‘better’ for knowledge/awareness components,
of a large facebook group entitled Endohaveli, a and ‘less optimal’ and ‘optimal’ for perception
diverse group of dental professionals with over component (Fig.1). Univariate associations were
52,000 members across the globe. The questionnaire assessed for dichotomized outcomes of knowledge
comprised four major components, i) Socio- and perception components using selected
demographic and personal profile, ii) knowledge/ socio-demographic and personal attributes as
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Original Articles
Table 4. Related factors of perceptions of Indian dentists on eliciting COVID-19 risk related history from patients.
Unadjusted Odds Ratio Adjusted Odds Ratio
Factor p-value p-value
(95% CI) (95% CI)
Gender
Male 1 1
Female 1.32(0.86-2.04) 0.20 1.21(0.77-1.90) 0.41*
Age group
< 30-years 1 1
≥30 years 0.63(0.40-0.97) 0.04 0.63(0.39-1.00) 0.05
Qualifications
BDS only 1 1
Specialized 1.02(0.66-1.58) 0.92 1.04(0.66-1.64) 0.85
COVID-19
CDE/Webinar participation
No 1 1
Yes 1.07(0.61-1.89) 0.82 1.28(0.70-2.38) 0.42
Using Arogya Setu mobile
application
No 1 1
Yes 0.63(0.41-0.98) 0.04 0.64(0.41-1.01) 0.06
Knowledge on COVID-19 patient
risk stratification
Good 1 1
Better 0.62(0.39-0.99) 0.04 0.77(0.59-1.01) 0.61
Knowledge on COVID-19
transmission
Good 1 1
Better 1.01(0.64-1.58) 0.98 0.96 (0.60-1.54) 0.88
*Significance, p<0.05.
predictor variables. For perceptions on COVID-19 3.1. Demographic data
risk assessment and eliciting patient history, Almost one half (48.9%) of the participants were
dichotomized knowledge scores were included as between 30-40 years of age, and approximately a
additional predictor variables. Moreover, a multiple third (35.5%) were younger than 30 years. The gender
logistic regression model was fitted to assess the of the participants was almost equally split between
independent associations of predictor variables females (50.1%), and males (49.9%). Except for a single
with the knowledge/awareness and perception missing response, all the participants mentioned their
outcomes, and Odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence nationality as Indian. Approximately one half (55.8%)
intervals (CI), and p-values were calculated. In the of the responding dentists had only a Bachelor of
unconditional binary logistic regression analysis, Dental Surgery (BDS) degree, and the remainder
enter option was used and p <0.05 was used as (44.2%) were qualified with a Master’s degree (MDS),
the criterion for retention in the model. Hosmer– whilst a majority of the respondents (56.3%)
Lemeshow goodness of fit test was used to assess the were general dental practitioners. Endodontists
fitness of model. Statistical analyses were conducted were the predominant group of specialists (16.9%)
using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) followed by prosthodontists (7.4%) and ortho-
for Windows, version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, dontists (4.7%). The majority of general and
USA). The study was approved by the Research Unit, specialized dentists, 60% were engaged in single-
Karnavati School of Dentistry, Karnavati University, handed private practices, while 21.6% were in group
India, according to principles of the Helsinki private practices, and another 18.4% were working
Declaration. in academia. Furthermore, 62% of participants had
used the Arogya Setu mobile application and 83.4%
3. RESULTS participants had participated in CPE/Webinars on
COVID-19 (Table 1).
In total, 403 responses were collected online from
a total of 1,200 randomly selected participants, 3.2. Participants’ knowledge and awareness of
yielding a response rate of 33.6%. Further analysis symptomatology of COVID-19.
revealed that a cross-section of dentists from all parts An overwhelming majority of participants (90.3%)
of India had participated in the study, indicating a answered correctly that the incubation period of
representative all-Indian response. COVID-19 can be up to 21 days (Fig. 1).
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All participants were aware of the elevated threat perceptions compared to older dentists, no other
Original Articles posed by COVID-19 to older individuals, and those factors evaluated were significantly different (Table
with chronic diseases, although 9.7% were unaware 4).
of the possible mortality risk of the disease for
younger individuals. Approximately, some three 4. DISCUSSION
quarters of the participants (77.7%) were aware
of acute loss of smell and taste could be an early One of the high-risk groups susceptible to SARS-
symptom of the disease, and a just over one-half CoV2 infection is health care providers, specifically
(58.8%) were aware of the full spectrum of COVID-19 dentists, due to the nature of their work that entails
symptoms. aerosol production, and working in extremely close
proximity to their patients. Indeed, in a recent analysis
3.3. Participants’ knowledge and awareness of by the O*Net Bureau of Statistics of the USA, dentists
COVID-19 transmission modes were considered the highest risk group of health
The participants knowledge and awareness of major care workers at risk for contracting COVID-19[3].
transmission portals of COVID-19, and key features This was borne out during the Severe Acute
of its prevention and control were relatively high as Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, with
97.0%, 98% and 94.8% were aware of main source some countries reporting that up to a third infected
of infection transmission, infected body fluids as being health care workers[4]. Hence, in order to
a source of infection transmission, and the crucial institute appropriate professional guidelines and
importance of hand-hygiene in prevention and related public health measures, it is important
control measures, respectively (Fig. 2). Surprisingly to assess the knowledge and awareness, and
though, only 29.8% were aware of the 6-feet institute clinical measures for controlling COVID-19
distance as the minimum physical/social distance for transmission in dentistry in a country such as India
COVID-19 transmission prevention. where the pandemic is ferociously spreading. To
the best of our knowledge, the current study is the
3.4. Factors related to patient history taking practices first to assess the latter parameters in a wide cross-
The vast majority of the respondents (98.3%) section of Indian dentists. The overall response
indicated that knowing the patient’s residential area rate of 403 received out of 1200 questionnaires
was highly important in COVID-19 risk assessment, forwarded on-line, was 33.6% and is considered
whilst a similar proportion (93.8%) perceived the acceptable for on-line surveys[5]. The low response
importance of knowing the patient’s travel history, rate may be due to the rapid nature (conducted
prior to treatment provision. On the contrary, two over three days) when the country was still under
thirds of the respondents (68.0%) did not wish to lockdown, and many dentists may have been
offer treatment to patients without the Arogya Setu occupied with emergency procedures or personal
mobile application. On correlating factors related commitments. In terms of the response it was
to knowledge/awareness of the respondents on notable that four fifths of our respondents were
COVID-19 to patient risk stratification, gender in private practices, and, hence the data can be
and age were significantly related to the level of construed as more representative of the latter group.
knowledge on COVID-19, as female dentists had On the other hand, the gender of the respondents
higher level of knowledge (OR=1.67:1.09-2.56) was almost equally split between males and females
compared to their male counterparts (p=0.02), and the latter had better knowledge of COVID-19
whilst those aged ≥ 30-year-olds had significantly than their male counterparts (p<0.05). Similar
higher level of knowledge than those < 30 years gender differences in the knowledge of infections
(p=0.01; OR=1.78:1.12-2.83). However, specialization and control measures have been reported in survey
status, participating in COVID-19 CPD/Webinar of dentists in countries such as Saudi Arabia[6]. In
programmes, and use of the Arogya Setu mobile general, older age group dentists (> 30 years) had
application were not significantly related to significantly higher awareness of COVID-19 cross
knowledge/awareness of COVID-19. In terms of the infection risk assessment, and measure impeding
factors related to awareness/knowledge of Indian infection transmission measures in the clinic, than
dentists on SARS-CoV-19 infection transmission, the younger dentists. One possible reason for this
prevention and control, specialized dentists had a may be the greater exposure of the older dentists to
significantly higher level of knowledge/awareness continuing education courses on infection control
on COVID-transmission than the generalists. in comparison to the younger counterparts. This
(OR=1.89:1.22-2.93; p=0.004; Table 3). None of said, it appeared that an overwhelming majority of
the other socio-demographic and personal attributes dentists (83.4%) had participated in CPE/Webinar
were significantly related to knowledge/awareness. programmes on COVID-19 pandemic and dentistry,
As for the factors related to perceptions of although such participation did not significantly
COVID-19 risk, and history taking, except for a correlate with their knowledge and perceptions
marginal significance of the age group (p=0.05), of the disease. In this context, dentists with a post-
in the direction of younger dentists having better graduate education also had a significant higher
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level of awareness on COVID-19 transmission than of Indian dentists on COVID-19 patient history taking
Original Articles
the generalists. In the battle against COVID-19, the was not significantly related to socio-demographic
Government of India has developed the Arogya and personal attributes except that the younger
Setu (literally, bridge for disease freeness) mobile dentists had better perceptions than their older
application to connect essential health services with counterpart (p=0.05; Table 4). Alike other respiratory
the people of India. It is designed to keep a user diseases, the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs
informed in case he/she has crossed paths with a mainly through respiratory droplets and aerosols
COVID-19 patient, and is widely used by the Indian generated by coughing and sneezing. The analysis
public. Approximately two thirds of the respondents of the data related to the spread of the disease in
(62%) who were users of this mobile app were China indicates that close contact increases disease
better prepared with modest concerns than non- transmission[10]. 97% dentists were aware of such
users in providing patient care (p<0.05), while a modes of infection for COVID-19 which is quite
majority of respondents (68%) did not wish to treat high compared to the awaresness of MERS-CoV[11].
patients who were not using this application. It is The majority of dentists (94.8%) were aware of the
now known that that SARS-CoV-2 infected person importance of hand hygiene in the prevention and
can be asymptomatic for up to 21 days. constituting control of COVID-19, namely greater awareness of
a major potential source of infection[7]. Almost all hand hygiene than during the MERS-CoV era[12].
of the respondents (99%) were aware of this fact Social distancing is a new normal for the entire world.
as well as that the older people and those with It is strongly recommended to maintain a minimum
underlying chronic medical conditions are more distance of 6 feet from others to avoid respiratory
prone to disease complications[8]. Additionally, a droplets[13]. Despite the Government’s disease
large proportion (90.3%) were aware of the possible education initiatives 29.8% dentists were not aware
mortality risk of COVID-19 among young people. of the critcal importance of maintaing the 6 feet
However, the knowledge of the responders in of social distancing limit (Fig. 2). Furthermore, our
terms of the full spectrum of known symptoms of study implies that neither partcipating in continuing
COVID-19 was relatively low (41.2%) in comparison dental education (CDE)/Webinar programmes on
to the foregoing. COVID-19, nor using Arogya setu mobile application
Nevertheless, it was heartening to note that over were significantly related to levels of knowledge/
three quarters of the responders were aware that awareness and perceptions on COVID-19 patient
acute loss of taste (dysgeusia) and smell (anosmia) identification, disease transmission and history
are early symptoms of the COVID-19, despite the taking among Indian dentists (Tables 2,3,4). Such
fact that the announcement was made by the US findings merit further investigations. The study
Centers for Disease Control only in mid-April, 2020. has some limitations. First, it was a cross-sectional
As substantiated by our findings, it would be helpful study that provided a quick snap-shot view and
to address this existing core knowledge gaps among hence cause-effect relationship of knowledge, and
Indian dentists by tailored interventions. awareness could not be ascertained. Second, the
The government of India has divided the entire response rate, though theoretically acceptable, was
country into Red Zones, Orange Zones and Green low.
Zones implying varying levels of restrictions aimed at
containing the spread of the disease, a promulgation 5. CONCLUSION
that is revised weekly. Almost all the dentists were
aware of the importance of the patients’ residential Our study has demonstrated that Indian dentists
areas during history taking, possibly due to the have reasonable knowledge of COVID-19, and its
practical utility of implementing the appropriate transmission modes, while specialist dentists were
infection control guidelines. significantly better informed than the generalists.
The COVID-19 pandemic has now spread to more Moreover, the older age group showed modest
than 200 countries and hence the travel history knowledge of the disease symptoms, and this was
of a patient could be crucial in determining his/ significantly better among older female dentists
her risk status. In relation to the final section of the compared to their younger male counterparts.
questionnaire, on patient history taking, clearly As India is currently experiencing a major threat from
almost all of the respondents (93.9%) were aware the COVID-19 pandemic that will reverberate well
of the critical importance of ascertaining the recent into the future, assessment of the knowledge and
travel history of the patient. This is likely to be due practices of dental and medical personnel, related
to their wide and constant media exposure, as well to the disease is critical to identify knowledge gaps
as numerous webinars on awareness on COVID-19 and formulate and institute standardized, best
directly targeting the dental professionals. practice guidelines against the COVID-19 spread.
Yet, recent studies suggest that early detection, hand Indeed, the Government of India together with the
washing, self-isolation, and household quarantine Dental Council of India need lead this initiative by
will likely be more effective than travel restrictions at conducting further comprehensive sub-continent-
mitigating this pandemic[9]. Moreover, perceptions wide surveys on this critically important subject.
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CONFLICT OF INTEREST ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Original Articles None declared.
We thank Dr. Rahul Bisht for his help in data collection. We also
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
thank all the dentists who took the time in their busy schedules to
NK: composed the questionnaire, disseminated and collated complete the questionnaire.
the data and drafted and edited the final manuscript. LPS:
conceptualized the study, wrote the original draft, vetted and FUNDING
approved the final draft. IP: curated and analyzed the data,
performed the statistical analysis, wrote the original draft and This study received no funds or financial support from any profit
edited the final manuscript. ZP: collated the data and also or not-for-profit organization.
drafted and edited the final manuscript. All four authors read and
approved the final version of the manuscript.
QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY ON COVID-19 AMONG INDIAN DENTAL RPOFESSIONALS
(Kinariwala et al 2020)
Sr No ..................................
A. Demographic Data
1. E-mail id:
2. Your Gender Male Female
3. Nationality Indian Any other
4. Your speciality:
o General practitioner
o Endodontist
o Prosthodontist
o Orthodontist
o Periodontist
o Pedodontist
o Any other
5. Your education o B.D.S o M.D.S. o Dental student
6. Age (in years) o < 30 o 30-40 o 40-50 o >50
7. What best describes the type of practice you are in?
o Private group practice o Academics o Solo practice
8. Did you attend webinars or continuing education program to manage patients during pandemic COVID-19 infection?
o Yes o No
9. Do you use Aarogya Setu mobile application?
o Yes o No
B. Knowledge and beliefs on identification of COVID-19 patients
10. What is incubation period of COVID 19 infection?
o 1 day
o 2-3 days but may take up to 21 days
o 28 days
11. Which are the symptoms of COVID 19 infection? (Select ALL that apply)
o Fever o Dry cough
o Tiredness o Nasal congestion
o Diarrhea o Aches and pains
o None of the above o All of the above
12. Do you believe that patients with chronic disease are at higher risk of getting infection with COVID-19 infection?
o Yes o No
13. Do you believe that older population is at higher risk for COVID-19 infections?
o Yes o No
14. Do you believe mortality rate for young population is zero?
o Yes o No
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C. Knowledge on transmission of COVID-19
Original Articles
15. Which of the following statement is TRUE?
o Pet animals are the biggest source of infection.
o COVID-19 spreads through droplets of saliva or discharge of the nose.
o COVID-19 is not transmitted via surface contact.
o Hand hygiene is not important to prevent transmission of COVID-19.
16. Do you believe COVID-19 infection can spread through body fluids of infected persons?
o Yes o No
17. Can the disease be prevented by good hygiene practices?
o Yes o No
18. What is minimum `social distance` advised to prevent COVID-19 spread?
o 2 feet o 4 feet o 6 feet o 12 feet
D. History taking practice amongst participants
19. Will you treat patients not using Aarogya Setu mobile application?
o Yes o No
20. How important is it to know patient’s residential area?
o Highly important o Not important
21. Will you consider patient’s travel history before treating him?
o Yes o No o Maybe
E. Fears associated with best management practices
22. Have you purchased Personal Protection Equipment kits?
o Yes o No
23. Do you have accessibility to N95 masks?
o Yes o No
24. Have you treated any patients within the last month for emergency treatment?
o Yes o No
25. How confident are you about starting your dental practice again this month?
o Highly confident o Confident o Hesitant o Not confident at all
26. What is your biggest fear for resuming practice after the epidemic?
o Limited availability of personal protection kits
o Limited resources to sterilize and disinfect entire clinic and equipments
o Risk of getting infection from the patient
o Increased operating cost and unaffordable cost of the treatment
27. Will you ask your patient to get tested for COVID-19 before treatment?
o Yes, all the patients for aerosol generating procedures should get themselves tested.
o No
o May be,only if patient is symptomatic
28. How worried are you about Medico Legal issues once you open up your dental practice?
Rate from 1 to 5: ………… (1-Not worried, 5- extremely worried)
29. Government of India and many dental societies have proposed guidelines for dental clinics. Are you able to follow the
guidelines so issued?
Rate from 1 to 3:……. (1- yes, 2-some guidelines only. 3- all guidelines)
30. Do you expect Government to pass a Law or singular Guideline securing Legal and Professional concerns of dentists
during and after COVID-19 pandemic? Yes/ No
Thank you for your precious time and contributing to the survey.
End of survey
Stoma Edu J. 2020;7(4): 242-251 pISSN 2360-2406; eISSN 2502-0285 249
Kinariwala N, et al.
www.stomaeduj.com
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Niraj KINARIWALA
BDS, MDS, PhD, Associate Professor
Department of Conservative Dentistry
Karnavati School of Dentistry
Karnavati University
Gandhinagar, India
CV
Dr. Niraj Kinariwala is an Associate Professor at the Karnavati University, India. He is a microendodontist and one of the pioneers in
field of Guided Endodontics. He is a researcher and eminent speaker. He is Editor and co-Author of the book Guided Endodontics
from Springer publishing house. He has published many articles in national and international journals. He has been a guest
speaker at ConsAsia 2018, AEEDC Dubai 2019 and APDC 2020.
250 Stoma Edu J. 2020;7(4): 242-251 pISSN 2360-2406; eISSN 2502-0285
Knowledge of Indian dentists on COVID-19
www.stomaeduj.com
Questions
Original Articles
1. What is the incubation period of COVID-19?
qa. 1 day;
qb. 2-3 days but may take up to 21 days;
qc. 29 days;
qd. 30 days.
2. What is the minimum social distance to prevent transmission of COVID-19?
qa. 2 feet;
qb. 4 feet;
qc. 6 feet;
qd. 12 feet.
3. Which of the following statements is true?
qa. Pet animals are the biggest source of infection;
qb. Covid-19 spreads through droplets of saliva or discharge of the nose;
qc. Covid-19 is not transmitted via surface contact;
qd. Hand hygiene is not important to prevent transmission of Covid-19.
4. Which of the following is not a symptom of Covid19?
qa. Loss of appetite;
qb. Loss of taste and smell;
qc. Fever;
qd. Dry cough.
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