Knowledge and attitude of dentists, dental auxiliaries and students regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract Background: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of dental professionals in Saudi Arabia regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods: A questionnaire was developed to assess various dental professionals from both governmental and private sectors through online and social media outlets. Results: A total of 1,033 responses were collected. Moreover, 63.4% of respondents (63.4%) were working in hospitals. Of all respondents, 44.9%, 33.4%, and 21.7% were in governmental clinics, academia, and private sector, respectively. Overall knowledge on incubation period and route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was satisfactory across all dental professions. All dental professionals except for dental assistants demonstrated adequate knowledge on the recommended hand-soap cleaning time (p < 0.001). Most dental professionals displayed unsatisfactory knowledge and disagreement on the survival of SARS-CoV-2 outside the host (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 75.1% of respondents were reluctant to treat a suspected COVID-19 patient, and 92% participants believed that the mode of transmission was droplet inhalation. Fever, coughing, and shortness of breath were identified as the most common symptoms of COVID-19. Most standard methods of prevention in the dental office were selected by at least 50% of participants. Conclusions: An appropriate level of knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 incubation period and signs and symptoms of COVID-19 was noted among all dental professionals in Saudi Arabia. Perceived survival outside the host was modest. A certain level of apprehension toward suspected SARS-CoV-2 patients existed among most professionals. Pandemic-awareness campaigns are essential among healthcare providers.

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Knowledge and attitude of dentists, dental auxiliaries, and students regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

10.21203/rs.3.rs-57059/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Suliman Yousif Shahin ◽

Amr Said Bugshan ◽

Khalid Salman Almulhim ◽

Mishali Saud AlSharief ◽

Yousif Al Dulaijan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Incubation Period ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Signs And Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Route Of Transmission ◽

Knowledge And Attitude ◽

Dental Professionals

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Knowledge of dentists, dental auxiliaries, and students regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

10.21203/rs.3.rs-53964/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Suliman Shahin ◽

Amr Bugshan ◽

Khalid Almulhim ◽

Mishali AlSharief ◽

Yousif Al-Dulaijan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Incubation Period ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Dental Students ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Route Of Transmission ◽

Knowledge And Attitude ◽

Dental Professionals

Abstract Background: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of dental professionals in Saudi Arabia regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods: A questionnaire was developed to assess various dental professionals from both governmental and private sectors through online and social media outlets. Results: A total of 1,033 responses were collected (273 dental students, 193 dental auxiliary personnel, 544 dentists). Moreover, 63.4% of respondents (63.4%) were working in hospitals. Of all respondents, 44.9%, 33.4%, and 21.7% were in governmental clinics, academia, and private sector, respectively. Overall knowledge on incubation period and route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was consistent across all dental professions. Hand-soap cleaning time was statistically different among dental professionals (p < 0.001). The dental professionals displayed significant disagreement on the survival of SARS-CoV-2 outside the host (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 75.1% of respondents were reluctant to treat a suspected COVID-19 patient, and 92% participants believed that the mode of transmission was droplet inhalation. Fever, coughing, and shortness of breath were identified as the most common symptoms of COVID-19. Most standard methods of prevention in the dental office were selected by at least 50% of participants.Conclusions: Dental professionals on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 seems to be consistent when evaluating the virus incubation period. However, virus survivability and recommended hand soap washing time was significantly variable among the professionals. A high degree of apprehension toward suspected COVID-19 patients existed among all dental professionals. Pandemic-awareness campaigns are essential among healthcare providers.

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Knowledge of dentists, dental auxiliaries, and students regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional survey

BMC Oral Health ◽

10.1186/s12903-020-01361-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Suliman Y. Shahin ◽

Amr S. Bugshan ◽

Khalid S. Almulhim ◽

Mishali S. AlSharief ◽

Yousif A. Al-Dulaijan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Incubation Period ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Dental Students ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Route Of Transmission ◽

Significant Disagreement ◽

Dental Professionals

Abstract Background This study aimed to assess the knowledge of dental professionals in Saudi Arabia regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods A questionnaire was developed to assess various dental professionals from both governmental and private sectors through online and social media outlets. Results A total of 1,033 questionnaires were collected (273 dental students, 193 dental auxiliary personnel, 544 dentists). In all, 63.4% of the respondents worked in hospitals. Of all the respondents, 44.9%, 33.4%, and 21.7% worked in governmental clinics, academia, and the private sector, respectively. Overall knowledge of the incubation period and route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was consistent across all dental professions. Knowledge of hand-soap cleaning time was significantly different among dental professionals (p < 0.001). Dental professionals displayed significant disagreement on the survival of SARS-CoV-2 outside the host (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 75.1% of the respondents were reluctant to treat a suspected COVID-19 patient, and 92% of the participants believed that the mode of transmission was droplet inhalation. Fever, coughing, and shortness of breath were identified as the most common symptoms of COVID-19. Most standard methods of prevention in the dental office were selected by at least 50% of the participants. Conclusions Dental professionals seem to be consistent regarding their knowledge of the incubation period of SARS-CoV-2. However, knowledge of viral survivability and recommended hand-soap washing time was significantly variable among the professionals. A high degree of apprehension toward suspected COVID-19 patients existed among all dental professionals. Pandemic-awareness campaigns are essential among healthcare providers.

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Knowledge and attitude of dental professionals toward COVID-19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional survey

Asian Biomedicine ◽

10.2478/abm-2021-0034 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 277-284

Author(s):

Darshan Devang Divakar ◽

Shruti Basavaraj Nimbeni ◽

Abdulaziz A. Al-Kheraif ◽

Aftab Ahmed Khan ◽

Sachin Naik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

High Risk Group ◽

World Health ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Control And Prevention ◽

Knowledge And Attitude ◽

Health Organization ◽

Dental Professionals

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a life-threatening global pandemic. The dental profession is considered a high-risk group in the transmission of the responsible virus. Objective To assess the knowledge and attitude among dental professionals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of dental graduates, interns, postgraduates, and dental faculty from May to July 2020. A standardized questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge and attitude of 650 participants. The questionnaire comprised 14 questions to assess general knowledge about COVID-19, 11 questions regarding knowledge about prevention of COVID-19 in dental practice, and 10 questions regarding the attitude toward preventing COVID-19. Results Among the study population, only 376 (57.8%) knew the causative virus for COVID-19. Only 425 (65.3%) knew about rinsing the mouth with an antimicrobial solution or 1% hydrogen peroxide before the dental procedure. Regarding the hand hygiene guidelines, 357 (54.9%) had knowledge of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 377 (58.0%) about World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. At the time of our survey, 72% of the participants showed sufficient knowledge, while 28% had low or insufficient knowledge about COVID-19. Conclusion While there was a lack of knowledge among dental professionals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia about COVID-19, there was an excellent positive attitude toward preventing disease. Greater awareness is needed to control the spread of this disease.

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Opinions of healthcare providers on the design of a smartphone application for asthma treatment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine ◽

10.4081/mrm.2020.508 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Hajed M. Al-Otaibi ◽

Khalid A. Ansari ◽

Osama Hamad ◽

Turki M. Alanzi

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Therapeutic Process ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Smartphone Application ◽

Asthma Treatment ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Primary Physician ◽

Global Initiative

Introduction: In several countries of the world, smartphone applications have been designed to contribute to the treatment of asthma. However, none of these applications has been developed in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the objective of this article is to design a smartphone application for the treatment of asthma based on the opinions of healthcare providers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: In order to know the opinion of the healthcare providers from Saudi Arabia about the design of an asthmaApp, we used a purposive sampling method and conducted a cross sectional survey employing a questionnaire which was distributed through the QuestionPro.com website to all healthcare providers working in this country. The questionnaire was sent to 376 healthcare providers and the response rate was 25%. Results: The data indicated that the majority of the respondents opined that the following features were important or very important in the design of a smartphone application for asthma treatment in Saudi Arabia: information about. patient diagnosis (98%), primary physician access information(83%), patient satisfaction with the therapeutic process (91%), push notifications about reminder for drugs (95%), push notification for treatment of inhaler and other drugs (92%), push notifications about reminders of clinic visits and therapy sections (81%), push notifications to ask for help sending SMS to primary physician about patients’ attacks (89%), pathophysiology of asthma (82%), asthma triggers (98%), drug guidelines (94%), drug side effects (93%), number of asthma attacks (98%), medication statistics (88%), visual inputs such as peak flow (91%), data to link patients to healthcare providers and to healthcare centers (82%), and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) references (72%). Conclusions: According to the opinion of the majority of healthcare providers (92%), the proposed smartphone application designed based on medical guidelines will contribute to improve the treatment of patients with asthma in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and will help to reduce the number of asthma cases that need hospitalization, and the number of asthma cases in the emergency departments of the hospitals of the Kingdom.

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Population Awareness and Attitude towards First Aid in Burn in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia – A Cross Sectional Study

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International ◽

10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i24b31438 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 22-29

Author(s):

Arwa Fairaq

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

First Aid ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Burn Injuries ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Health Awareness ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Home Remedy ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Knowledge And Attitude

Background: Worldwide, an estimated 180, 000 deaths per year are caused by burns. Majority occur in low- and middle-income countries. Inadequate awareness of burn first aid has been reported in both developed and developing countries. In Saudi Arabia, studies reported inadequate level of knowledge of general population of first aid in burns emergencies including communities of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Jeddah, Riyadh, Majmaah and Hail. Objective: we aim to assess the general knowledge and attitude regrading burn first aid among Makkah Al-Mukarramah population. Thus, the results of this study could help to understand the need of community to more implantation of Health Awareness Campaigns to help burn injuries managements. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using an online survey. A total of 1390 participants completed the questionnaire from 15 February to 15 March 2019. Results: Around 51.4% believed that washing burned area with cold water is the immediate first aid in 1st degree burns, 38.3% and 61.7% believed that going to the nearest emergency department is the immediate first aid in 2nd and 3rd degree burns, respectively. Around 46.7% agreed to remove the clothes stuck to the burned skin in case of burns , 34.5% applied traditional home remedy including toothpaste, honey, tomato paste or egg. Conclusion: we found that population of western region have fair knowledge and attitude towards first aid in burns. However, traditional home remedy practice still present. Health Awareness Campaigns still needed to improve community attitude towards burn injuries managements furthermore.

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Dentistry Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Among the Saudi Arabian Dental Students

Frontiers in Medicine ◽

10.3389/fmed.2021.654524 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Basim Almulhim ◽

Abdullah Alassaf ◽

Sara Alghamdi ◽

Riyadh Alroomy ◽

Sami Aldhuwayhi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Nonparametric Tests ◽

Dental Students ◽

Attitude Score ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Preventive Practices ◽

The Mean ◽

Knowledge And Attitude ◽

Dental Professionals

Background: The recent pandemic outbreak has created a huge impact on dentistry. Dental students and dental professionals are at a higher risk because dental practice comprises close communication and widespread exposure to blood, saliva, and other body fluids. It is imperative to evaluate the knowledge and perceptions regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) among budding dentists.Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of dental students regarding dental practices during COVID-19.Materials and methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among undergraduate students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire consisting of demographic, knowledge, and attitude-based questions were circulated among the study population, and the responses for the knowledge and attitude were scored. Their mean scores were then calculated. Chi-square test and nonparametric tests were computed using SPSS version 21 software, and p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Results: 388 undergraduate dental students have participated in the study from Saudi Arabia. 68% of the respondents believed that they had sufficient knowledge regarding COVID-19. The mean score for knowledge was 5.84 out of 7. Females (6.24) scored statistically significantly higher than males (5.55, p < = 0.001). The mean attitude score was 6.34 out of 9. 93% were using PPE models, while 95% maintained social distancing. Out of all the participating dental students, only 16% were willing to treat patients during the pandemic, and 28% did not want to treat patients, 28% preferred teledentistry. The majority (44%) of dental undergraduates were willing to handle only emergency cases.Conclusion: Accurate knowledge and attitude regarding COVID-19 and diversified opinion on preventive practices during the pandemic period among budding dental professionals evident from Saudi Arabia. Mixed opinions were witnessed among them in seeking help from professional societies. The majority of dental undergraduates were willing to handle only emergency cases.

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A Cross-Sectional Survey of Knowledge of Skin Cancer in Saudi Arabia

Dermatology Practical & Conceptual ◽

10.5826/dpc.1103a76 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 2021076

Author(s):

Hend Al-Atif

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Skin Cancer ◽

Population Sample ◽

Sun Exposure ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Common Source ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Preventative Measures

Background: Skin cancer has become one of the world’s leading health problems, and incidence rates are on the rise. The leading causes of skin cancer are sun exposure, family history and sunburn, and the most agreed-upon preventative behaviors are sunscreen application and sun avoidance. Objectives: This study assessed the knowledge of the causes of skin cancer and awareness of preventative measures in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 529 participants in a WhatsApp group over 3 months. Consenting participants completed a validated, 18-item questionnaire. Results: Of 529 total participants, nearly 55% of participants reported an awareness of skin cancer, 35% understood its metastasis and 55.1% knew about its spread. However, 44% of participants were unaware of the different types of the disease. Social media was reported to be the most common source of information. The majority of participants were able to identify symptoms of skin cancer and had knowledge of risk factors. Most participants understood proper preventative measures, and reported that they use sunscreen regularly. Conclusions: The general knowledge of skin cancer in Saudi Arabia is not high but is increasing. However, sun-protective behaviors are lacking, despite the population’s knowledge of the benefits. Awareness campaigns and incentive programs may encourage better preventative behavior. Future studies should explore participants’ awareness of more specific aspects of skin cancer using a more diverse and extensive population sample.

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Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Disposal of in-Home Medication among Community in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International ◽

10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i46b32946 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 325-334

Author(s):

Mohammad Daud Ali ◽

Ayaz Ahmad ◽

Latha Subarayan Kannan ◽

Sharell Lewis ◽

Zainab Salman Al Suliaman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Management Program ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Eastern Province ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Attitude And Practice ◽

Home Medication ◽

Knowledge Attitude And Practice

Aim: Current study conducted with aims to assess general public knowledge, attitude and practice towards disposal of in-home medication among community in Eastern province, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted from 1st September 2019 to 31st October 2019 among the community in Eastern province, Saudi Arabia. A validated self-administered questionnaire was distributed to easily approachable 1400 participants through social media in which 916 respondents were completely filled the survey form. Chi square test were used for the calculation of variance among the group. P-value less than and equal to 0.05 is considered statistically significant. Results: The response rate of survey was 65.42%.The mean age of the survey respondents was 30.34 ±9.95 years. Among all the respondents 225(24.56%) respondents were male and 691(75.43%) respondents were female from community of Eastern province, Saudi Arabia. The majority of the respondents 709 (77.4%) (p<0.05) purchased the medicines on prescription. The majority of the respondents 763 (84.8%) (p<0.05) answered that improper disposal of unused and expired medicines causes damage of environment and health. The results revealed that the most common Over the counter (OTC) drugs as follows, analgesics with 456 (49.78%)(p<0.05), Vitamins & Minerals 272 (29.69%), Cold and flu Drugs 84 (9.17%), Food Supplements 56 (6.11%) and in the last Digestive drugs with 48 (5.24%). Conclusion: Gaps persist in practices, hence vigorous, safe and cost-effective pharmaceutical waste management program reinforced campaign is required. Healthcare providers (HCPs) and community pharmacists (CPs) should organize training to educate customers on standard medicine disposal practices.

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